Desert Rose
by Sailor Taurus Angel
Summary: When Tokyo is attacked, a legendary bond sends the Senshi to the Naruto world to be protected. Makoto lands in the wrong place, which happens to be Suna, where she encounters a deadly Gaara. No one said anything about being a mock fiancée of the Kazekage!
1. Hotties, Deserts and Kages, Oh My!

A new year and a new story to go with it! Don't worry I will NEVER leave Written In The Stars, I just wanted to get a chapter of this posted and see what you guys thought about it! This is a Mako/Gaara fic yay! I'm the first to ever write about this pairing… I think…

The Senshi are 16 as well as Naruto people but this is before Sasuke leaves just pretend they were sixteen when they got paired into their squads. The other Senshi will be in this fic and they will have pairings I will tell you those when they come into their respective chapters… Unless you're dieing to know then I guess I can tell you hehe Anyways go ahead and read on!

_Italics_- thoughts

**Bold**- Shukaku

Desert Rose

Chapter One: Hotties, Deserts and Kages, Oh My!

The blistering Sun seemed to never fade like the, infinite amount of sand before Kino Makoto. The heat seemed to intensify when she thought about where she was, which angered her due to the fact that all she knew was that she was in some unknown planet's desert, wandering around like an idiot. And who knew, maybe she was walking around in circles, come to think of it, all the sand looked the same and what few rocks there were did also! So all she could do was wander around like an idiot.

Why you ask? Because some insane lunatic attacked Tokyo and screamed something about killing all the Senshi, absorbing their powers, maybe something about world domination in between all his blabbering yadda yadda yadda, same thing they all said and all failed, obviously. But Setsuna freaked out and sent us here… Wherever here was anyway. All she told us before we left was that Selenity knew the Hokage here, and was told that if this guy attacked us again, the Hokage would let us come here and be protected. And so that leaves me here….

"I didn't even get to fight the bastard … We could have just stayed there and fought ourselves, that's how we've managed since the beginning haven't we?" The brown haired green eyed girl talked to herself wiping sweat from her brow with her back hand. She stopped for a minute to roll up her sleeves and pant legs, and sighed exasperatedly.

"God Suna if you were going to cast me off to the middle of a damn desert I would have brought water or at the least short sleeves and some shorts!" She once again spoke to herself and looked at her surroundings and frowned.

"Well let's see… I spy with my eye… Sand…. Sand… And a rock!… And oh gasp! Would you freakin' look at that! GUESS WHAT EVERYBODY!! MORE SAND!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!??" She screamed so that if there WERE anybody around they would hear her cry of anger.

She then lowered her head in defeat and sweat dropped.

"This is the end. Either I'm going to die out here, or I'll go insane and maybe attack a wild animal thinking it might be a human being and get eaten…I DON'T WANT TO BE EATEN BY A MONSTER!!" She screamed again.

"I sound like Mina and Usagi… Looks like the heats already gotten to me." She then noticed the scratchy feeling the back of her throat for the first time.

"Screaming isn't the best thing to do when you're going without water…" She told herself as she walked over to a rock, plopped down and leaned against it for support.

She looked up at the Sun shading her eyes with her hand.

"It looks about three o'clock…. Man I have to get outta here before it gets dark…"

Unknown to her, a pair of eyes, that matched hers exactly, were watching her, in amusement as well as curiosity.

"**I like her, she humors me well; and as a plus she's hot!! I mean when's the last time you've seen a woman with a body like that!!? You should go talk to her, you know HELP her, if you catch my-"**

"Shut up you damn pervert." He seethed.

"I have no use to talk to a woman who can't even find her way out of a desert." He added.

"**Oh come on kid! You gotta find yourself a girl someday! I mean you can't tell me that THAT doesn't make you feel ANYTHING!?"** The voice inside his head beckoned.

"**Come on look at her!! She's got it ALL!"** He added making him stare at her and not look away.

"I no longer have use for feelings like attraction or even lust. My purpose is to kill, and only that. The only use for love that I have is myself." The crimson haired boy let his eyes linger for a minute on the beautiful female before him.

She was sitting down leaning her back against a rock. She had pulled her knees to her chest which looked to be her 'comforter' as she rested her chin on the top of her knees in defeat.

"**See kid. You can get rid of feelings but you can't get rid of hormones…I think you should at least go over there and-" **

" For the last time shut up Shukaku!" He hissed and commanded his sand to lift him up and take him over to the girl.

"Oh thank God! I have to admit Gaara I was having my doubts about you. I mean nothing appealed to you! Not female or male I didn't know what to do with-….. She's even hotter up close!!"

-:- Makoto -:-

"This couldn't get any worse I just know it!!" Makoto cried once again leaning her head on her knees. Suddenly she heard a loud scratching noise behind her. She snapped her head up to find a sand storm heading right for her not moving from her path an inch.

"Shit! I REALLY don't need this right now!" She screamed getting up and trying to run but her exhausted body forbid her to go any faster than a jog. Luckily she was at least fast enough to move from its course and stopped to breathe.

"God that sucked…If it would ha-" She stopped as she heard the scratching noise again.

"N-No way!!" She screamed and began to run again watching as every time she moved right or left it would also.

"Damn it Suna! Where are you!!??" She screamed pushing her body to the limit as fear overtook her hearing the noise getting louder.

-:- Gaara -:-

He heard her shout out asking where Suna was and snarled.

"What business could she possibly have with Suna anyway? She's probably a bandit; I suppose that gives me a good reason to kill her." Gaara seethed with a malevolent grin not understanding the difference between the two 'Sunas' they were thinking of.

Gaara grimaced as he watched the girl before him look at him the same way

everyone else had- in complete and utter fear then run away, to leave him alone like always, like he had always been and always will be.

"She's running away just like everyone else has!!!" He screamed lividly and sped after her bloodlust seeping from his eyes.

"**Kid you look like a damn sand storm! She can't even see you!"** Shukaku screamed in his head.

"No she can see me! Just like everyone else! A monster!" He growled his sand reaching out to her in the shape of a hand and saw the look of utter shock and confusion grace her beautiful features.

"Wh-What the Hells going on!!??" She screamed seeing the hand sculpted out of sand gaining on her fragile frame. Now she was pushing her body to the limit, fear's adrenaline overtaking her bodies' actions. Suddenly she felt something snake around her ankle, causing her to inhale quickly to feel pain as the abrasive object tugged her back, knocking her to the ground. She cringed in pain feeling the sand wrap around her tired body; immobilizing her and she didn't like it one bit, and began struggling.

She soon realized the more she thrashed about the tighter the sand clenched her battered body.

"Shi-Shit…" She cursed feeling herself being lifted from the ground and up in the air moving forward. Sand clouded her vision so the only thing she could see was a black and red figure moving closer and the closer she moved toward the person the clearer her vision became. She began to struggle more the nearer he drew.

"_If I don't get outta here I'm gonna be killed!"_

Makoto thought to herself kicking but felt the sand grip her again this time tighter than before, making her gasp for oxygen as she got the breath knocked out of her.

Then heard a cold and emotionless voice chuckle she also noticed that she had stopped moving.

"It's pointless, girl, No one has ever lived after this phase."

His voice deep and bloodlust cut through every word that left his lips, but once Makoto heard his beseeching voice another type of lust moved into her thoughts.

"**Bit of a spit-fire don't you agree?"** Shukaku asked greedily in his head; not helping that he was already fighting off the lustful cravings this girl emitted.

Her eyes lifted to finally meeting his gaze. Her eyes scanned his handsome features then traveled to his eyes, she noticed they weren't only the same color as hers but also held the same heart slicing pain rimmed around all the hatred that trickled through his emerald jewels. The pain that was held in his eyes could never be covered up and was a one way street to his spirit, one that had been broken, just like hers. It made her want to get loose even faster but not to run away but something inside her wanted SO desperately to take him in her arms and let him know someone knew he was there.

"_What the Hell am I thinking about things like that at a time like this!?" _

She screamed in her thoughts never taking her eyes away from his.

Her blissful thoughts were ripped away by the searing pain around her torso making her groan painfully and was about to do anything to get out of this death trap.

She then looked up, fighting back every urge to scream out in pain but wouldn't let things go down like that; and gave him pleading look, feeling tears gather hastily, not only from the pain in her body but the pain fighting to escape through his eyes.

"_I-I want to help him… So badly it makes my heart split in half if I can't touch him…"_

Makoto thought then noticed that he had brought her face so close to his they were only about five inches apart, but obviously not for his attraction, or so she thought, but for him to truly show her the ;lividness his eyes screamed at her.

"Wh-why are you attacking me?" She sputtered out.

He had no need of words, his glare answered her every question- 'just because'.

Makoto couldn't suppress her heart throbbing any longer and slowly but surely managed to free her right hand and began moving it toward his face.

Gaara stood in front of her arms crossed eyes glaring at her then noticed her moving and saw her hand advancing in the direction of his face, and sneered tightening the sand around her arms. He heard her whimper and slowly moved his eyes back up to her; their bottle green eyes connecting.

"P-Please…It hurts…. I-I know.." She admitted not giving up on touching his snow white skin. His eyes cringed darting back and forth between her hand that continued not to give up and her eyes that screamed trepidation.

"What do you know about pain!?"

He screamed bringing them even closer not sure as to why. Maybe because Shukaku, who had been watching everything, did it; he just wanted to know how she planned on trying to harm him with her free hand; or he himself just wanted to be closer to her. Hoping it wasn't the last one, he waited angrily for her answer.

Suddenly he realized there was now a warm and soft feeling on his cheek, and it hit him that he had been so busy looking at her eyes and thinking of his own thoughts to remember about her advancing hand, that now sat benevolently on his cheek.

"T-Too much…" Her voice stuttered but sounded softer than her hand on his cheek, as she replied to his question. His eyes widened at her touch, he hadn't felt the feeling of another human touching his body since his Uncle died.

The dieing face of his Uncle struck like lightening in front of his eyes infuriating him as he quickly manipulated the sand to crush her body, this was too much on her body and she felt a heavy weight pull on her eyelids.

"_This must be the end…But… I never got to help him…"_

She thought her eyes not leaving his until her consciousness forced her to give up and fall asleep.

His grip never eased as her eyes shut and she screamed as soon as her eyelids closed, proving she was asleep and unable to hold back her pain any longer.

He wanted to smile at the noise he had learned to love and look forward to hearing, but this time he felt something ping inside his chest and dropped the sand grabbing the left side of his chest in pain, like he had done when he was only a little boy.

"Wh-Why?" He asked angrily looking at the girl lying flat on the ground, sand no longer around her body and he saw blood seeping from her abdomen. Yet again feeling a hurt surge of emotion rush through his body straight to his heart, and his sand gathered her this time, gently in his grasp and brought her to him slowly as he let go of his chest.

He looked down at the girl lying flat on his sand asleep, but he then noticed the small content smile that graced her petal like lips. The sand then wrapped around her whole body but this time hold her gently like a rose for if he squeezed to tightly her thorns would pierce his skin. He began walking to find a decent looking shelter to place her under, because there was no way he was taking her back with him to Suna. Besides he has business with Konoha that needed to be dealt with at this moment. He then heard her groan in pain, he looked back almost afraid that she might be awake and run away again but then noticed her eyes were still closed.

"**Her abdomen kid! You're holding her too tight!"** He heard Shukaku speak his first words in thirty minutes, while Gaara said nothing but loosened his grip on the angle like creature in his hands, who desperately needed his assistance. Sand swirled around his and Makotos bodies as they disappeared in a flash.

-:-

Shivers ran down her spin causing small bumps to slowly appear on her body. Her eyes shot open as she looked around herself. Her body felt dirty and the gritty taste of sand was in her mouth. She quickly felt around hoping to feel solid ground, but sadly only was able to grab handfuls of sand. She looked around and saw that she was under a large rock that most likely kept her shaded during the evening and gave her shelter during the cold night. She could tell by the direction and height of the Sun it was slowly fading to a new morning. If only she could remember where this morning was taking place.

"N-Nani?" She asked no one in particular and laid there for a minute.

"How did I get here…And where are the girls we-"She gasped and flew upwards.

"That boy!" She screamed then fell back down holding her stomach in pain. The pounding surges made her cringe and she looked down and smiled.

"He didn't kill me… I knew he had something good inside him. I guess I triggered it and helped him in some way. That's good enough for me." She said pulling her hand to her face looking at her blood soaked hand.

"Can't expect him to be all bunnies and rainbows I guess…" She told herself whipping the blood on her clothing and pushed herself off the ground. Before she fully stood upright she heard a thud as something hit the ground.

"Nani?" She asked looking down and screamed sweat-dropping at her stupidity.

"AHH!! Mako-Baka!! How could you forget something so important!!??" She screamed mentally berating herself, and bent over picking up her communicator.

As soon as she flipped open the lid she saw the irate face of Setsuna.

"Makoto where are you!? I can't locate you; Michiru can't even see you in her mirror! You need to be here and speak to the Hokage! There's a huge problem as to why you're now unable to be protected!"

Setsuna was obviously biting off more than she could chew with this whole 'a jillion years ago the Hokage told Queen Selenity that if the Senshis were ever in need of their assistance they would gladly help them.' deal.

Makoto's eyes were the size of two softballs for two reasons, one; she had never seen Sets raise her voice let alone scream at her and two; if she wasn't protected (which didn't want to be in the first place but was now sounding pretty good with her last deadly encounter not 24 hours ago) she was as good as dead.

"All I can tell you is… I'm in a desert and-IT'S NOT MY FAULT! You teleported me here remember!" She screamed sadly knowing that even if Setsuna couldn't locate her there were HUGE technical difficulties going on in this world!

Setsuna sighed then looked away for a second, and then her head snapped back towards the screen. She had a look of determination on her face.

"Makoto are you prepared to do anything to protect your Princess?" Setsuna asked a bit unsure of her agreement, which made Mako a bit uneasy but none the less it could never change her mind.

"Was it truly necessary to ask that question Sets? You know that answer as well as I do." Makoto replied without much of a delay as she watched Setsuna's expression as she turned to someone behind her.

"She's agreed Tsunade- Sama." Makoto heard her say and she turned back and looked at Mako.

"Mako-Chan Hokage-Sama needs to talk to you for a moment. I will talk to you in a while… I promise." Mako then saw the screen shaking as Sets was obviously handing the Hokage her communicator.

Mako did not what-so-ever like the way the Senshi of Time's last comment sounded like. She gulped as she saw the face a beautiful young woman with honey colored hair and amber eyes smiling kindly at her.

"H-Hokage-Sama?!" Makoto asked confused like, expecting to see an old wrinkly lady, not someone so… so youthful!

Tsunade giggled at her expression, and spoke kindly to her.

"Yes, I am the Hokage. Your friends had the same reaction when they saw me too."

The thought of her friends jumped into Makotos' head.

"My friends!... Are they ok?... All of them?" Mako asked concerned that she wasn't able to talk to them yet.

"Your friends are fine Makoto, but it is you I'm worried about. As Setsuna told you, your protector is busy with other duties he has taken from Konoha and well… We obviously weren't expecting you all to show up out of the blue like this or I wouldn't have had this happen… So Setsuna and I figured something out to make this work to our advantage. Since we haven't sent the person we were sending to Suna, out yet, you will be taking their place. You will go to Suna and to the Kazekage, who is your protector, and you will meet with him and his council and they will explain what they are going to do with you. In order to get there you will need to go west, so obviously go the opposite direction of the Sun and you will reach Suna in roughly and hour, give or take a few minutes. I am unable to tell you what our plan is but that shouldn't matter since this is what you need to do and you agreed, which we expected." Tsunade finished.

"Okay could you guys quit making it sound like I'm going to die because you're really starting to freak me out here!" Makoto screamed unhappily, as she received a grin from the Kage.

"You're not going to die." Tsunade replied, giving her reassurance again.

"What would be the point of sending you to get killed? This whole thing would be pointless."

"I guess you're right… Gomen Hokage-Sama…" Makoto replied feeling stupid about her sudden outburst and blushed. Tsunade smiled at her embarrassed blush.

"Well you will be greeted at the gates of Suna and since you obviously don't have I.D. that will be from Konoha, when you see the gates open you communicator and I will approve who you are. Then they will show you where the Kazekage's tower is, and there you will wait for the council to inform you and the Kazekage what is going on. I will see you then Makoto-San, and please be careful about bandits… They like to lurk around the outer boundaries of Suna. Ja ne!" Tsunade smiled leaving a shocked Mako-Chan before she could even ask her about the 'bandits'.

"_Or at least I HOPE she won't die… That boy is still not completely stable… Oh damn, I need some sake!_" The Hokage thought just as she flipped the lid to the Time Senshis communicator shut.

-:- Mako -:-

Makoto had indeed been walking for about an hour now, and was getting closer and closer to the huge town, with many people walking around inside the gates.

Mako reached in her pocket and pulled out her communicator, and flipped the lid open when she was about twenty-five feet away.

She half expected to see Setsunas' face but was greeted with the face of the Hokage once again.

"I'm here… What do I do?" Makoto asked showing her obvious nervousness that had multiplied on her trek there. Which gave her time to ponder what she was really getting herself into.

"Relax Makoto. Just go up there and answer their questions and I will take care of the rest." Tsunade assured her as she watched Makoto put on her façade.

She walked up the gates and Makos' confidence flickered as she saw the look of the two men, and for that split second and thought they could give her a run for her money. She gulped and watched as the two men watched her with extreme caution.

She took in a deep breath and squeezed the small device in her hand.

"What is your purpose here? You don't even look like a ninja." The man spoke rudely as Makoto's eyes narrowed.

"My purpose here should be none of-" Makoto's nervousness was replaced with anger at the man who was looking down upon her but she was stopped by a muffled shout coming from her hand which caught both of the men's attention.

She sighed and held out her communicator to the other man who hadn't said anything yet.

"Here." She commanded and crossed her arms over her chest, eyes glaring.

"Hokage-S-Sama?!" The man shouted looking at the device in astonishment.

"Hai, it's me, now this girl is the one sent to the Kazekage. She doesn't have an I.D. or a scroll of proof because she was attacked by bandits on her way here. This is something I thought that you of all people would have under control." The Hokage berated the men.

"Now if you don't mind, I suggest that you let this woman pass, she will be late for the meeting and is need of medical service as soon as possible." Tsunade glared at the men.

"Yes, Hokage-Sama, we're sorry for the inconvenience." The now apologetic man gave Makoto back her communicator.

"So what building is the Kazekages'?" Makoto asked the kinder man.

"The tallest building in this city, which won't be difficult to locate with its unusual height miss." He replied pointing at the building not too far away that was indeed they tallest building in the large city.

She smiled knowing she was almost there and thanked the man as she walked away.

As she passed through the gates with her head held high proving to the other man she was supposed to be here and should have clobbered him for what he said. As soon as they could no longer see her back she smiled broadly at the Hokage.

"I never would have guessed the Hokage would lie!" Makoto laughed at the woman.

"It wasn't a lie… Well kind of. But it needed to be done, and it helped you out… Well I will talk to you later Makoto. Use your communicator to talk to me or Setsuna ok? Good luck Makoto, ja ne." Tsunade smiled and Mako watched as the screen grew to soft static.

She closed the lid and looked around and people didn't seem to notice her as she walked on her way the Kazekage's office.

-:- Kazekage's Office -:-

Makoto walked up to a kind looking secretary who smiled at her as she looked up at Mako-Chan.

"Hello, how can I help you out miss?" She asked sweetly, making Makoto a bit more relaxed upon meeting a semi-polite person, almost believing they didn't live here.

"Um, I'm here to see the Kazekage… I'm the girl sent from the Hokage…" Makoto smiled at her. Her face brightened upon realizing who she was. She smiled, stood up and shook her hand happily.

"Oh! It's wonderful to meet you! I'm sure you will be very happy here Miss…?" The Secretary asked.

"Kino Makoto, just call me Makoto and it's nice to meet you too." Makoto smiled back.

"Well you'd better go on in. Kazekage-Sama hasn't returned from Konoha yet… But he should be here any minute now. So go on in, The Council is in there waiting for both of your arrival." She smiled as Makoto bid her goodbye and walked through to large doors, meeting the many surprised stares of old men and one woman.

Her eyes grew wide with embarrassment and she walked in and smiled at them awkwardly.

"Um… Hi I'm Kino Makoto from Konoha; you must be The Council that the secretary was telling me about." Makoto said still smiling at them.

The older lady stood up and smiled at her shaking her hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful life here." She smiled at Makoto as she gave a perplexed look, still shaking her hand.

"Um, he he I don't think I'll be here for too long. My Senshi and I will eventually go back to Tokyo once it's safe." Makoto smiled at her a bit confused by her comment.

"Tokyo?... Well I've never heard of that before! And what are you talking about your Senshi?" And older man asked confused.

"Um… Oh yeah you don't know where that is do you?" Makoto asked sweat dropping.

"Well you can explain it all when your Fiancé arrives dear. No need to worry." The old lady smiled ushering her over to sit down.

"Whoa! Whoa! WHOA!! Hold the phone! I don't have a fiancé! I don't even have a boyfriend!" Makoto screamed starting to get a little scared.

"Oh, I knew I was forgetting something not to say!" The kooky old lady pouted as the other men looked irate with her.

"They were to find out together! Not one at a time! They'll go ballistic!" One of the older men screamed at the lady.

"Wait! Who!? Who gets here!??" Makoto screamed anger was never her best emotion.

Suddenly the doors burst open with an angry looking boy plowing through them.

"What do you all want that is such an emergency that I have to leave Konoha before I could kill that Baka-Hokage!" The crimson haired Kazekage growled, obviously Tsunade had pissed him off. It also didn't help that he was clueless about what was going on.

"Kazekage-Sama, it's wonderful that you've graced us with your presences and look what we have for you-"

The old smiling lady was cut off by Makotos' scream of anger as she grabbed one of the older men by his collar and brought him about an inch from her face.

She was clueless that anyone had entered the room or even yelled because she was too busy realizing she was going to be married to someone she had never met in her life just to be safe from harm!

Her eyes were like smoldering embers.

"You had **better** be shitting me or I'll seriously kill you **right** now!!!" She screeched, letting the terrified man go.

She turned around and met with the face of and clearly just as pissed off Gaara.

"You!!? What are you doing-" Makoto was cut off by sand pinning her to the wall.

"Get out of here before I decide I'm going to kill yo-" Gaara's anger was cut off by the small old lady tapping him on the shoulder.

"**WHAT!?**" He roared, head snapping in her direction, as Makoto struggled to get free. She backed up a bit from him and replied in a small voice.

"K-Kazekage-Sama, I think you should put down Miss Kino Makoto….Who is now also known as your fiancé." The old woman smiled kindly at him, as his eyes grew wide and slowly turned to Makoto who was no longer struggling.

Her mouth was partially open in utter shock from what she had just heard. She stared back at him as she quickly dropped her to the ground.

No one dared to utter the smallest word. Makoto and Gaara were still staring at one another then they heard a muffled cough.

"Oh…My damn…" She uttered in a small voice.

"**HELL YEAH!!! I KNEW I liked her!!"** Gaara heard Shukaku shout but he couldn't even process what he said because all he could think was, he was going to be married and that was at number one of his list of 'the **many **things he thought he'd never do in his lifetime.'

-:-

So, what did you guys think!? To be honest I'm pretty proud of the little booger! ;p And I think you guys will really like this story. Well please give me some feed back on this! Love ya loyal readers!! Be kind R& R please!?


	2. Meet The InLaws

Yes, I know I told a few of you that I would be updating this last weekend, and I'm sorry, but I was extremely busy and didn't know my weekend was going to be to full of events. -.- So now we have a snow day today… This is starting to become a habit, but a good one! Lol, well I hope you enjoy this, and huggles to everyone who reviewed! Thank you!

Disclaimer- I don't own Sailor Moon or Naruto

Desert Rose

Chapter Two: Meet The In-Laws

Makoto felt as if her stomach was trying to jump out of her throat…. Oh wait! It was!

Her eyes grew even wider… Well if possible. She slapped her hand over her mouth trying to hold down the urge of puking on her newly acclaimed fianc- Okay no longer able to hold it down!

She stood up eyes watering as she tried, may I say tried again? Just as she ran past Gaara, sand clamped around her free arm, her face no longer burning, but more like turning pale.

"Where do you think you're going? We need to discuss what exactly is going on right now." Gaara seethed as she tried to speak and tell him she was having an, ahem, emergency; but as soon as she took her hand off her mouth she felt her stomach once again try to escape through her throat.

She tried to say it with her hand over her mouth but, that obviously made no sense to anyone in the room.

"_O-Oh God!!! I can't hold it in any longer!!!"_ She thought to herself as she somehow broke free from Gaara's sand and grabbed the door and tore it open almost ripping it off the hinges.

"You'll never believe what Gaara's ab-" The kind secretary looked up from talking to a blonde haired, blue eyed girl, to see Makoto explode from Gaara's office with her hand over her mouth, eyes watering.

"Wh-ugh- where's the bath-gag- bathroom!!!??" Makoto screamed at the secretary, not caring if the person she was talking to looked at her like she was crazy.

"I-It's right down the hall to the left. Kino-San are you okay you loo-" The secretary stopped upon seeing her run down the hall faster than lightening and slam the bathroom door shut then shove a lady out again slamming the door.

"Oh my goodness! Maybe I should go check on her…. I hope she's okay, she looked kind of sick, didn't she?" The secretary asked the blonde with the four ponytailed hairstyle in front of her.

"Yeah, she did." The blonde replied never stopping to look away from the door that was now most likely locked.

Suddenly the two women were brought out of their daze by a furious red head, they knew all too well, fuming as he walked out of the open door.

"Where is she?" He raged, eyes burning like fire.

-:-

After taking care of her stomach problem, Makoto walked out of the stall and over to the sink. She turned on the water and looked over to see Dixie Cups sitting over in a neat bin. She thanked the Lord and grabbed one filling it up with water and rinsed her mouth out. She then turned the water on, took it in her hands and threw it on her perspired face.

She looked up at the mirror seeing her reflection, and face turned red with embarrassment.

"Oh my God! That was so embarrassing!!... What am I supposed to tell them!? Um, I had a nosebleed…." She looked at herself and sweat-dropped.

"My life officially sucks!" She screamed and took a breath trying to regain her composure.

"The nosebleed thing will just have to work." She whispered to herself as she unlocked and pulled the door open.

For a split second she couldn't understand why the door was so easy to open then noticed it was because it was quickly advancing towards her face and then- BAM!

Makoto flew backwards into the wall behind her as the door oh-so precisely collided with her face. Her head smacked against the wall knocking her out and giving her Usagi-Chan's trademark swirly eyes as she lay on the ground.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing running out like th-"

"**Kid!! I-I think you might have killed the poor girl!! Damn and I got all excited over nothing!"** Gaara heard Shukaku pout in his mind as he looked down and yes there before him lay an unconscious Kino Makoto eyes swirling.

"God damn it!" Gaara shouted making the two women in the lobby cringe at the tone of his voice.

"It's gonna be a long night…" The blonde haired woman sighed, still oblivious to what the chaotic girl had to do with her brother.

"I better go help that girl before Gaara decides he wants to kill her. I'll talk to you later Kara." The blonde called over her shoulder.

"Good luck Temari-Sama." Kara smiled watching the older sand sibling advance on her irate brother.

Temari sighed as she opened the bathroom door and met with the angry face of Gaara as he held the 'crazy girl' with his sand.

"Gaara!! What the Hell happened to her!?" Temari asked seeing the girls' bruised face.

"I hit her with the door. Now take her to the hospital, she still has her other injuries to be attended to." Gaara replied like it was nothing and began to walk away as he handed her over to his older sister.

"What!? That's all you're going to tell me!? Yo-"Temari was cut off by her brother speaking.

"It should only take them a second to clean her up. So wait there and when they're done take her back to house. I will explain everything there." Gaara spoke not even acknowledging his sisters question and walked back to his office slamming the door shut.

The tone of his voice sent shivers down her spine.

She looked down at the girl in confusion wondering why Gaara didn't really just kill her, and now she was going to be going home with them!

She sighed and hoisted the battered girl so that she was carrying her like on a piggy-back ride.

She did a variety of different hand signs then she and Makoto were transported outside onto her fan.

"This really is going to be a long night…" Temari sighed staring at the girl as they made their way over to Suna Hospital.

-:-

Makoto took a deep breath and smiled at the warm feeling that was around her.

She didn't need to open her eyes, for she knew she was home safe in her bed. She would get up in about five minutes at the sound of her alarm for school and would like everyday be late as she and Usagi-Chan raced to beat the bell and on the way she would tell her best friend about the crazy Sand-Man she dreamed she was forced to marry.

Five minutes passed as she thought about her dream, and waited for the alarm…. Nothing was happening…. No annoying and obnoxious alarm ringing in her ears. She then for the first time opened her eyes and then immediately snapped them shut.

"I'm home, I'm home, I'm home, I'm home, I'm home!!!!" She told herself and slowly cracked her left eye open and sadly she was just lying to herself. She was most definatly not home. She was in a room that was very dark and she could hardly see anything, which was what exactly told her she was NOT home. Her small and quaint little apartment was filled with the wonderful smell of plants and was always bright.

She felt around on the bed to find the edge once she did she swung her feet over the side and planted her feet on the floor. She felt so stupid walking around with her hands in front of her face just so she wouldn't run into anything. Finally after it seemed like forever for feeling around the walls, she found the light switch and was surprised at what she saw.

The room was very beautiful. The walls were a dark burgundy and the bed set was all black and crimson. The room was decorated with those three similar colors.

"Okay… This is really weird…" Makoto said to herself as her eyes still scanned the room.

Suddenly she saw a small mirror over in the corner and she ran over to it. Once she had awoken she felt all her wounds healed. She knew that being a Senshi that made her body heal faster but never this fast.

She looked in the mirror surprised at her appearance. She expected to see a girl with a dirty face and matted hair staring at her but was surprised.

Her hair was down and her body was completely clean… Actually it looked like she had just gotten out of the shower besides her hair not being wet. She lifted up her shirt and was shocked yet again. Her abdomen was healed! Her fingers danced along the smooth skin.

"There's not even a scar!" She smiled and began walking over to the door. She saw that her hair-tie was on her wrist and she pulled it off. She opened the door as she began twisting the elastic around her hair.

Just as she looked up she met literally face to face with some crazy guy… Seriously they were only about an inch away from each others faces.

He had a confused look on his painted face while his hand was in the air in the shape of a fist, obviously trying to knock on her on her door.

He smiled and brought his arm down as he looked her up and down.

"well Temari never said she brought home a pretty girl whe- Umph" The man was stopped in mid-sentence by a swift and clearly unexpected kick to the face then felt a fist shoved into his stomach.

"Back off you damn crazy pervert!" She screamed rapidly kicking him again but this time right where the good Lord split him. She took off down the long hallway, not waiting a second for him to get up.

He doubled over holding himself in pain eye twitching as he moaned.

"God damn it bitch!" He screamed as he stood up just as she looked back and pepped still trying to find the door, then her eyes lit up when she spotted it.

She sped over and pulled it open just in time to look back and see the man she had just pissed off to no end leaning on the hallway wall with a angered glare.

"Get over here!!!" He screamed stumbling over to her as she laughed at his slow speed.

"Right, I'm sure that's what you'd LOVE wouldn't you perv!" She screamed and smirked then backed out the door sticking her tongue out and pulling her eyelid down.

She laughed and turned around and walked out just in time to run into Temari who was carrying in about three bags of groceries. Suddenly Makoto couldn't stop herself fast enough to not slam into the girl in front of her.

"Shimatta!" Makoto yelled bracing herself to hit the ground but felt something worse. Her eyes grew twice their size at the feel of someone behind her grabbing her arm and pulling her back before she could run into the girl.

"Where do you think you're going girly?" The voice hissed in her ear full of malevolence.

"Ohhh damn…" She whispered, before she or the freakish man could do anything they were distracted by a livid shout.

"Kankuro!!! I told you to watch her for thirty minutes while I went to get food and I come back and it's total mayhem!!!!" The girl shouted shoving past the two and both watched as she threw the bags on the table.

"Can you do anything right!? I have to go in and take her to the hospital, and then bring her home while all you did was train!" Temari screamed as Makoto felt the man wince and took advantage of his opening and stuck again. She pulled her elbow back and slammed it into the same spot the she had last time… Or she thought she was going to.

Kankuro grabbed her elbow and twisted it around her back.

"Thought you were going to get away with that little blow didn't you girly! Well I'm ready for you n- " He was not stopped by Makoto this time but by Temari slugging him a crossed the jaw.

"Damn it Kankuro! Let her go! If Gaara finds out you did anything to hurt her he'll be pissed!" She screamed as he let Makoto go.

Mako looked up at the girl with a confused look then it hit her.

"You're the girl that was talking to the secretary!" She yelled as Temari looked over at her.

"Yeah, I'm came to check on you when I saw Gaara walking into the bathroom after you did, I thought he was going to kill you, so I had to make sure he didn't do anything stupid… By the way I'm Temari, Gaara's sister and this is Kankuro our brother… What _is_ the business that you have with Gaara?" Temari asked Makoto as she looked at her a minute making sure she was most likely telling the truth.

Makoto bit her lip and looked down blushing.

"Um… Can you hold on a minute I have to talk to someone before I know that it's okay to tell you." Temari and Kankuro looked at her with a confused stare then she shook her head.

Um… Sure the phone's right over th-" Temari started but she watched Makoto pull something out of her pocket.

"That's okay, I don't need the phone." Makoto smiled trying to keep what she had left of her composure.

She took a deep breath and opened the lid to her communicator.

As fast as she did that she saw the face of the Hokage on it.

"Hello Mak… Oh heh, hold on I'll get Setsuna for you." Temari and Kankuro looked at each other thinking that they heard the voice of the Hokage coming from that little thing.

Makoto hadn't said a word, but at the moment, she didn't need to. Her deathly glare spoke every word she wanted to say.

Suddenly the face of Setsuna appeared on the screen.

"Hello Mako-Chan, now I know you're not exactly happy right now but you did say you would do anything to keep Usagi-Hime safe and this is what nee-"

"Do the other Senshi have to get married Setsuna!?" Makoto screamed surprising the two sand siblings next to her.

Setsuna sighed and looked up at her.

"No Mako-Chan, they don't because their protectors agreed to help us! Now I knew you'd be upset Makoto, but please listen to me! This is what not needs but **has** to be done! I have already foreseen what the future will hold if you didn't! I'm sorry but that was the only way to save Crystal Tokyo! Now I know you have never complained about anything I've made you Senshi do…. If anything next to Usagi, you have been one of the most optimistic, but this I must not ask but tell you to do this. That is your duty as a Sailor Senshi, Kino Makoto." Setsuna finished with stern look. Throughout Setsunas speech Makoto thought about and took in what she had been saying, and realized she was indeed right.

"Gomen, Suna-Chan… But is there **really** no other way?... I mean this-this man tried to kill me for Kami's sake!" Makoto shouted and in the background she heard the Hokage pipe up.

"Oh I'm sure he didn't mean it!"

Makoto sweat-dropped.

"Yes, I'm **sure** he accidentally squished me with his evil sand Tsunade!!" Makoto shouted back, cheeks flaring.

"W-wait!" Makoto heard Temari and Kankuro shout together, catching her and Setsuna's attention.

"Y-You're going to…. To marry Gaara!??" Kankuro asked his mouth dropped.

"Yeah! Why do you think I'm freaking out here!?" Makoto shouted.

"Wait!... You mean the guy that hit you with the door today, Gaara?" Temari asked just to make sure.

"YES!!! Now stop making it sound worse than it already is!!" Makoto shouted back.

Kankuro turned to Temari and grabbed her shoulders.

"Temari!! I just hit on my future Sister-In-Law!!!! That's so gross!!...Oh God!! Wh-What if Gaara finds out!? What if he cares!!?... Th-This does NOT leave this room!!" Kankuro shouted as Makoto and Temari looked at him like he was going crazy.

"And I would tell someone that little tid-bit of information, why?" Makoto asked then turned back to Setsuna.

"So… Do I need to tell them who I am and the situation, Suna-Chan?" Makoto asked as the older Senshi nodded in approval.

"okay… And will I be able to talk to you when needed?..." Makoto asked.

"Of course Mako-Chan and even if there's that small chance that you can't reach me in time, especially if there's trouble, that's why we sent you to Gaara-Sama… I'm sure he's not there right now is he?" Setsuna asked as Makoto looked up at the two eavesdropping siblings as they nodded in conformation.

"Yeah…. So what's your point?" Kankuro asked surprising Setsuna as he popped over Makoto's shoulder looking down at the Time Senshi.

"_Hum, how ironic is that… Him being there and the brother…"_ Setsuna thought looking at the boy.

"Well then I expect him to arrive soon and he will be informed about the little marriage arrangement, but Mako-Chan they know nothing about the Senshi… That's your job to let only the three of them know what's going on… Now I must go before you start asking questions that I can't answer. Take care Mako-Chan and don't let your guard down for a second… Orochimaru could be anywhere. Ja ne." She spoke before Temari and Kankuro could pound her with questions about the snake obsessed man that had murdered their father and deceived their village.

"You know Orochimaru!? Do you know where he is!?" Temari asked looking at Makoto trying to fight back tears of anger and sadness.

Makoto looked down and sighed.

"We know nothing of the vile creature besides the fact that if we didn't leave our home planet, he would have began endangering the civilians… And we couldn't allow that to happen…" Makoto replied and looked up at the two to see them giving her quizzical looks.

"Home planet?..." Kankuro asked truly believing she was definatly crazy.

She sighed and rubbed her face.

"I guess you two should sit down because this story's gonna be a bit hard to follow…." Makoto said turning around to shut the door that was still open.

Just as she reached for the doorknob a hand grabbed the door so she was unable to shut it.

She looked up to see the man they had just been speaking about standing right in front of her. (No! Not Orochimaru!)

She blushed looking up into his eyes which bore down at her feeling like he wanted to rip her soul out right now and devour it.

"**Well, well, well… Looks like our little rose has recovered faster than what I expected! Maybe this day isn't going to be so bad."** He heard Shukaku purr in his mind, feeling the emotions he had felt the day before in the desert.

Makoto then ripped her eyes away from him feeling her cheeks heat up again, and she looked down at his sandals, suddenly finding them the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

"**God damn Gaara!! She couldn't be anymore cute, could she!?... This is definatly going not only be a good day but maybe a good night as well if yo-"**

"Shut the Hell up **now**!" Gaara seethed in his mind.

"**Heh, I'm making it harder to resist her aren't I-" **Gaara cut the demon off in his mind by trying to block him out of his mind.

"G-Gomen…" Makoto stumbled as she moved out of his way as he said nothing, not even a simple 'hn'… Nothing as he walked past her.

Temari and Kankuro looked at one another in shock at their normally composed brother, who was obviously having his feathers ruffled by this once thought to be simple girl.

They both were trying to figure out if this female attention was a good or bad thing.

"Welcome home Gaara…" Temari stopped to greet her brother as he walked past her.

"Hi." He simply said not stopping to look back at the girl.

"Um… Gaara-Sama… I need to talk to you as well as your brother and sister… It's kind of… Well really important." Makoto spoke up making him stop in mid-stride and turn around to look at her emerald eyes, which were serious.

"I already know. The Council told me everything." He replied and began walking again until she spoke once more.

"Not quit. This is something they know nothing about… The only ones that know in this world are the Hokage and my Senshi as well as my Hime… You must listen to me… It is regarding your lives as well as my own including the ones that I care for." Makoto replied, as he sighed sternly and turned around leaned against the wall.

"Get on with it then." He commanded, losing his patience with this girl.

"Finally!! We get to know what the heck you're talking about for once!" Kankuro shouted and plopped down on the couch as Temari sat next to him crossing her leg.

"Well how about I just show you…" Makoto said pulling out her Henshin wand and took a deep breath.

"Jupiter Eternal Power! Make up!" She shouted and glowing green colors illuminated the room, surprising everyone, including our normally cool and composed Kazekage.

Once done she bit her lip and played with a loose finger on her glove.

Kankuro's mouth was hanging open and Temari looked at her in unbelievably, while although he wasn't feeling it, Gaara looked at her like nothing had happened.

"**Oh my God!!! That was freaky and sexy at the same time!... Make her do it again!!"** Shukaku shouted in his head, as he ignored him…. Or at least he tried to.

"What _are_ you!?" Kankuro asked mouth still agape as she sat down on the chair behind her.

"Well… I'm the Sailor Senshi of nature, thunder, lightning and Jupiter, second in Command of the Inner Senshi. And crowned princess of Jupiter daughter of Zeus and Juno… The only reason I am living is to protect my best friend, Tsukino Usagi; my Hime and future queen and ruler of the Moon Kingdom and Crystal Tokyo…" She finished getting the same looks she had a moment before and sighed.

"Let me start from our beginning…" She spoke and told them all about the Moon Kingdom all the way up to when Orochimaru arrived on Earth.

"…So the only reason we can come up why he came here was to get the Silver Crystal… We know nothing about him, or what his true motive is…" Makoto finished looking at them with a pleading glance.

"How do we know that all this is true and you all aren't just on Orochimaru's side?" Gaara growled at the Senshi of Jupiter.

"Gaara… Hokage-Sama is on their side and if it was written on a document by the Fourth Hokage, I'm pretty sure they aren't lying…" Temari replied for Makoto.

-:- Else where -:-

"Well, well, well, look Kabuto. The Senshi have come here believing they will be protected by those simple little boys… Too bad they haven't realized who it is I'm truly looking forward to meeting. They're all surrounding and protecting their little Serenity… But they won't realize their mistake until it's too late for her." A man with pale white skin smirked while his long snake like tongue licked his lips in desire.

"it is even more interesting that she is involved with the demon raccoon's container… This will be interesting to see how this turns out won't it Orochimaru-Sama?" A man with silver hair and glasses grinned watching the three sand siblings speak to the Senshi of their liking.

"Yes, yes it will." Orochimaru smiled as he stood up and was followed by Kabuto who flashed a number of hand signals, performing a jutsu, and the small bubble showing the happenings of the Senshi was gone.

-:-

After their discussion about where this mysterious Kino Makoto came from was done she rubbed her fingers over her temples out of stress.

"Um… I'm still feeling a little tired… Do you mind if I go lay back down… It's kinda late anyway." Makoto asked as she mainly looked at Temari as she nodded.

"Sure, go ahead. I'm sure you're tired after your journey here… If you're hungry you're welcome to anything you can find to eat." Temari added as she watched Makoto get up and walk into the hallway, and then stopped.

She turned back around to face all three of them and bushed slightly.

"Umm… Arigato minna…" She smiled and walked back on her way to her original destination.

They said nothing until they heard the door shut behind her.

Kankuro sighed as well as Temari and he slouched on the couch, looking at his two siblings.

"Well this was eventful day don't you think? I mean who would have guessed that by the end of the day our little Gaara would soon be planning his wedding day to marry some freakishly strong, super heroine from another world." Kankuro smiled at Gaara as did Temari.

Gaara felt emotions rush through his body. He had forgotten about the marriage part of the deal.

"You know it's too bad that if this wasn't going actually strengthen the bond between Konoha and Suna you wouldn't have to go through this big mess Gaara… Plus The Council doesn't know that the reason this is really is happening because of the ancient bond to Konoha… So that still makes me wonder about what we have to do with this whole thing…" Temari said sitting up and cracking her back.

"**Well if it matters _I_ don't mind the little rose…"** Gaara cringed as he heard Shukaku in his mind.

"_The damn bastards already given her a pet name!?"_ Gaara thought to himself.

"**You _do_ know that I can hear your thoughts right? And I'd watch it kid, 'cause if you don't I might make you 'accidentally' do something to that beautiful little creature that's now living in our house."** Shukaku taunted making Gaara wonder what exactly he was talking about and before he could question the demon in his head his other question was answered by his sister.

"Yeah, but Makoto was dead serious about this whole thing and she doesn't seem to happy about getting married either… And that hot lady she was talking to on that communicator said she knew of no other way…. Do you think she was the Senshi of Time she was talking about?" Kankuro asked as Gaara stood up.

"Where are you going Gaara?" Temari asked watching him head for the kitchen.

"I have paper work to take care of… I'll be up late." He replied heading off to the kitchen to finish the paper work he mentioned.

"You should take it easy sometime Gaara." Kankuro said standing up getting ready to head for bed himself.

"Yeah, and try not to stress out over this too much, alright?" Temari asked as she got up as well and poked her head into the kitchen.

"Oh and goodnight Gaara… Meditate or something, you really do need to relax sometimes, okay?" Temari lectured receiving nothing more than a 'hn' and smiled as she walked back to her own room.

-:-

Makoto walked back to the room and shut the door behind her. She sighed pulling out her communicator again but this time to talk to someone other than Setsuna.

She waited silently and suddenly she smiled upon seeing the blonde she had been hoping to speak to looking at her.

"….Mako-Chan!!?" Usagi shouted in elation at the Thunder Senshi.

"Yes, it's me Usagi. How are you?" Makoto asked the bubbly girl.

"I'm…. Good… I think… Mamo-Chan is staying with a boy named Rock Lee… He's kinda weird but nice… and I'm staying with this guy named Uzumaki Naruto…. He's really cool but… I really don't know who the others are staying with…Mako-Chan the others and I are worried that we didn't get to see you. Where are you! Are you in Konoha! Hey! Maybe you're living right next door and we don't even know-"

"Um Usagi-Chan…. I've got a problem and I _know_ I'm not in Konoha…." Makoto replied seeing the shocked look on her Hime's face.

"Oh no!! Orochimaru's got you, I just know it!!" Usagi shouted as always jumping to conclusions.

"NO!! Usagi! Wait! It's not that I just-"

"Don't worry Mako-Chan! Mamo-Chan and I are on our way!" Usagi shouted flipping the lid shut, pure determination plastered on her face.

Makoto sweat dropped at the girl.

"Aww hell she'll figure it out and Mamoru would never let her leave…"

"These are the things I have to deal with… Well I really on planned on talking to her tonight but… I guess I can talk to someone else…" Makoto told herself as she waited to see the face of her other friend appear on the screen.

"Who the Hell is it?" A cold and emotionless voice spoke.

"Re-" Makoto stopped by looking at the person who had spoke. It most certainly wasn't the fiery tempered miko she was good friends with.

"I think I should be asking you that question! Where the Hell is Rei-Chan!! What did you do to her!? You're working with that bastard Orochimaru aren't you!?" Makoto shouted her eyes burning with hate but before the shocked boy could reply to her unexpected reply Mako heard someone else.

"Damn it Sasuke-Teme!! I told you to stay away from that!" Makoto sighed hearing the girl she was in search of shout and the communicator shuffled around seeing none other than Hino Rei.

"Oh… Mako-Chan! Hey are you alright!? The rest of us were worried once you didn't show up at Konoha when Setsuna teleported us here…." Rei said in a worried voice as Makoto gave her a depressed smile.

"yeah… I'm physically okay… But there's something I need to tell you… Um… Well I guess I'm getting married to my protector… and there's no way out of it…" Makoto looked down to see Rei's face unmoving with her mouth half open.

"Mako-Chan you're getting married to someone you don't even know!!!!!!!!!!???" Rei shouted making the Uchiha cringe at her shrill voice.

"You make it sound worse than it already is…." Makoto mumbled.

"Mako-Chan this is bad!! You shouldn't have to marry someone under those circumstances!!... Have you told Odango yet?" Rei asked her eyes twitching.

"Yes… Well no, she thought Orochimaru had captured me and hung up to come and save me." Makoto sweat dropped.

"Just like her! She never thinks anything through! Argh! Well so what's the guys name?" Rei asked taking a deep breath trying to be as calm as possible for her friend.

"Gaara… His name is Gaara and he is the Kazekage of his village called Suna…" She replied looking the priestess.

"Gaara?... That's a strange name… What's he like, I mean if he's kind I'm sure you'll be…. Happy together?" Rei asked not sure what to say to the brunette.

"It's okay Rei, you don't have to try so hard… And… He's really quiet and well rude and mean but… There's something about him that I can't help but be drawn to… Maybe it won't be so bad after all…" Makoto blushed as she revealed her thoughts about the boy she had just met.

"Mako-Chan you're so much like Usa-Baka when it comes to love! Don't force yourself to like him! You can still have whoever you want!" Rei protested.

Something inside Makoto felt like someone poking a pin in her heart because she knew there was a part of her that didn't want to give up the vulgar boy to any other girl… The thought of some other girl being his fiancé almost enraged her to the point she grimaced.

But she quickly recovered by poking fun at Rei's obvious liking.

"And look at who you get to stay with! Mr. Evil but Hot!" Makoto smiled as she watched Rei bush with embarrassment.

"It's _not_ like that! That boy has a stick shoved up his ass that just needs to be pulled out so someone can beat him with it, and I'm that lucky 'someone'!" Rei replied rage flaring as Makoto laughed at her comparison.

Unknown to either of them a certain Uchiha was listening in and even had a surprised expression on his face upon hearing that _the_ Gaara was going to be married and not just to anyone, but to one the Sailor Senshi that he was watching over…

"Heh, damn…" Sasuke said to himself as he walked down the stairs trying to decide if he was going to tell Naruto or not tomorrow.

-:-

About thirty minutes later Makoto realized what time it really was.

"Oh man… Rei-Chan I'm going to have to let you go. It's really late and I told them that I was going to bed about an hour ago… Well just don't tell anyone about my little problem… I'll take care of it, but if you see Usagi tell her not to worry about me, okay?" Makoto asked the Fire Senshi with a smile.

"Will do Mako-Chan. And please be careful and keep in touch. Call me if you ever need anything. Good night." Rei said with a biding smile and closed her end of the communication.

Makoto sighed as she did the same flopping on the bed she was sitting on.

"I guess I really should try to get some sleep…. It's going to be a _long_ day tomorrow… I'll probably have to discuss a bunch of crap again." Makoto wined to herself as she leaned over the bed and turned off the lamp, which had been her only source of light for the past hour now. She then closed her eyes to gently float off to sleep.

-:-

Gaara sighed and looked at the clock reading 1:17 A.M.

"Well I guess I'll meditate for the rest of the night." He told himself as Shukaku listened.

"**God you're so boring!... Hey! I've got an idea! Let's go check on the little rose… You know just to see if she's sleeping… Oh! Maybe she had a bad dream and needs some comforting from her new fiancé!?"** Shukaku screamed in his head pissing him off even more.

"_Would you just stop! All you do is talk about the baka onna! I don't care what happens to her, and you should know that!"_ Gaara hissed in his mind to the demon who was always invading his privacy as he walked back to his room to 'relax' as Temari called it.

"**Fine… But you know you won't be able to resist her for much longer, between your own lust and my lustful thoughts… Well call it what you will but, you won't be able to hold yourself back and if you hold off much longer with someone like that walking around your house, well there's no telling what you might do to our little rose…"** He heard Shukaku laugh in his mind while he really thought about what the demon had just told him.

He decided he would brush it off until the morning; right now all he wanted to do was lie in his bed and meditate, and no longer let himself to think of the green eyed vixen asleep in his home.

He opened the door and immediately stopped upon feeling that there was a presence in the room.

"**Well I'll be damned… Seems like your lovely sister forgot to tell you about a little present she left for you on your bed."**

Gaara heard Shukaku speak up as his eyes widened while he opened the door to confirm the demons accusations.

There on **his** bed was the woman, to which his never ending thoughts belonged to, asleep cuddling with **his** pillows that he laid on every night.

"**Well you two are going to be married soon, so why not go ahead? I mean you want to sleep with her for the first time on your Honey Moon? Come on Gaara this is the 21st Century! People don't care about that kind of stuff anymore-… Hey! Wh-What are you doing!?"** Shukaku shouted as Gaara walked over to the chair in the room and sat down on it cross legged.

"**Well, I'm proud of you kid, I didn't even except you to do this! I thought you'd just walk out into the living room."** Gaara could almost hear the demon smiling as he spoke.

"_This is my room, no matter if she's in here or not, baka."_ Gaara growled getting annoyed and was already pissed because of his sisters' stupidity and absent mind.

Gaaras' mind slowly began to turn blank as he meditated but suddenly the smiling face of the girl in the room flashed into his thoughts.

His face snarled as he opened his eyes upon hearing the girl whisper something in her sleep, which had pulled him out of his trance.

He could feel Shukaku's eagerness flowing through his veins.

"**What'd she say? I couldn't hear!"** The demon demanded.

"_I don't know nor do I care! Now if she wakes me up again, I'll kill her!" _Gaara snarled then once again he heard the girl as his sand flew out to capture her body but then it registered in his mind what she said.

His mouth was partially open as the sand floated above her body churning softly. Even Shukaku was surprised at what the beautiful girl uttered in her slumber.

"**Hah! Yes, there's hope after all for you kid! I told you having this gorgeous female around was a good thing for you!"** Shukaku snorted as all Gaara could think were the words she voiced as they floated around his mind repeating over and over again.

"Gaara-Kun…" She mumbled softly with such care and love to leave him dumbfounded as he could only stare at her as a delicate and cute smile played across her petal like lips.

-:-

Well cute and fluffy just the way I like it, but don't worry they won't start to connect until a while later. In the next chapter Mako rebels and naturally they fight, totally not what she was hoping for and we learn more about the plot and we get to see the other Senshi. Squee!! It's going to be so cute! I have to tell you, Ami-Chan and Neji are going to be together and Mina's with Shika! Heh, she'll bug the shatness outta our other little genius! Well hope this made you laugh, and please review for me! Thanks to everyone that has! Next thing, a new chapter of Written In The Stars and a little preview for those of you who read this as well as W.I.T.S… With a big role being filled in the fourth chapter, by the one and only backstabbing brother- Itachi-Kun! Bum, bum, bum, how will Mako-Chan react to her puppy love crush returning to Konoha in search of her best friend again!? Until next time! -Kat


	3. PostValentine's Day Gift

Now let's see… Chocolate in system for happiness–Check…. Yummy V-8 Splash drink to get me hyper-Check…. Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne on repeat- Check (so my theme song!)….My graduation tests over…PRIASE THE GOOD LORD-CHECK!!! I'm so glad it's finally over!!!! Deep breath, okay anywho, Ohio has decided to finally warm up! Yay, I love spring!!!! It was like eighty degrees on Tuesday and felt so good compared to twenty degree weather!!... Although here I sit in my cold dank basement typing on the computer… I have no life… But! I did go clothes shopping for me and birthday shopping for my younger sister today! Hehe, so maybe I'm not _so_ bad! Well anyways I dedicate this chapter to Blue Shadow Star who gave me the best reviews on the last updates of my stories! Huggles! I love you to death girly:glomp: Thank you! And please check out her awesome Mako centered x-over!... I really hope you end up pairing Makoto with Ash! Squee! Lol! Any ways, her writing is soooooo much more elegant than mine!! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, they mean so much to me!

Desert Rose

Chapter Three: Post-Valentines Day Gift

Disclaimer- I own nothing.

A long and drawn out yawn escaped her lips as she stretched out in her bed and felt some of the bones in her body pop and crack leaving her with a relaxed feeling. She looked over at the clock. She didn't want to get up but she knew she had to sometime… She sighed looking up at the ceiling, her dark eyes looking at the stamped ripples leaving incoherent designs traveling a cross her spacious room.

"Well, I guess I could make breakfast for them… For once…" She said to herself and ruffled her hair not bothering to put it up in her normal ponytails and then walked out of the room, making her way to the kitchen still in her P.J.'s.

She flipped on the light switch to the kitchen and shrieked and quickly putting her hand over her heart, breathing heavily.

"Oh, God Gaara! You scared me half to death! What are you doing out here anyway?" She asked recovering her normal breathing and looked over at the crimson haired man in front of her. She began walking over to the fridge to start preparing her rare breakfast as she waited for his reply.

"Did you forget to mention something to me last night, Temari?" He asked his voice full of malice and she almost dropped the milk realizing what he was talking about.

"Shit…" She mumbled. ( I bet you guys thought she was Mako at first and thought I just had typos… unless you're really smart… lol)

She quickly turned around to face Gaara her eyes wide.

"Oh! God Gaara I'm sorry I forgot to tell you! I-I was just so busy with trying to figure things out I-" The scared older sibling was cut off by his calm reply.

"Just don't make that mistake again, Temari." He replied and walked out the kitchen door, surprising her as he walked on his way to his office to speak again with his council, but was stopped…

The girl they were just speaking of rounded the corner and ran straight into him, but of course Gaara didn't move, while Makoto's ungraceful movement left her falling to the floor. Gaara didn't even bother catching her, she would be fine and he just didn't fell like going out of his way for her.

Her hair, like Temari's, was left out of her normal ponytail and fell in front of her face as she rubbed her now sore bottom.

"Gezz, what a wonderful wake up call…" She grumbled and looked up and realized who she had pelted herself at… Oops…

"Oops…" She said mimicking her thought and stood up.

"Gomen, Gaara." She said, proud that she didn't stutter and make a **complete **fool of herself…Well kinda'…

"What is so important that you had to go running down the hall like someone was trying to kill you?" Gaara growled at the young Senshi, as she simmered about sick of his little snide remarks like that! Even if he was the _Kazekage_, **she** was the crowned princess of Jupiter for kami's sake! Didn't that give her a **little bit **of seniority… Or at least equal to him!!

"For your information, my communicator is missing! You know that thing that I need to use to help save the world, damn it!" She screamed. Yep that was it she was done hiding her emotions because of fear, she was rebelling. No more nice Kazekage fiancée!

Temari's mouth was hanging open in shock, even Gaara was shocked but of course he didn't show it! Shukaku laughed.

"**She's a little fire-cracker isn't she Gaara? You must have pushed her to show all the things she's been too afraid to say. And she doesn't look too scared now does she?"** The demon asked happy to see her show another emotion besides fear.

"You better realize who you're talking to onna." Gaara seethed walking closer to her but this time Makoto was too pissed to be afraid.

"And you should realize who you're talking to!" Makoto shouted in his face, snarling at him.

They all could now hear the sand in his gourd rasping and growling against the curved insides.

"H-Hey you two, just take it easy, and Makoto we'll find your communicator. It should be somewhere around here right?" Temari asked as Gaara grabbed Makoto by her shirt collar.

Makoto's face flashed with fear for only a split second but then turned back to wrath, she hoped with all her might that he wouldn't notice. But hello! This was Sabaku No Gaara we're talking about! Of course he noticed! And he smiled down at her as she grimaced and then gulped ready for him to do something lethal.

Makoto stared at him for a moment, wanting so badly to look away from his vicious eyes but she was standing up for herself at this very minute, and there was no way she was going to back down now! If she did he would be able to hold it over her head for all eternity! So she did the next best thing instead of hitting him. She swung her right arm in front of herself and swiped his arm off of her collar and then turned and walked away, but he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to look at him in the eyes.

"Don't you walk away from me, I'm not done." He seethed. That was it.

"Well I AM!!!" She shouted and sent electricity through her whole body. Obviously Gaara couldn't see the attack coming so it was a direct hit but it hardly fazed him and now he was pissed and as soon as he recovered, which was pretty much immediately, sand struck her body. She was wrapped in the sand, it was crawling all over her body. Now she was scared, her nightmare was happening all over again.

"Agh…" She let escaped from her lips as she struggled, her body was being compressed and as hard as she tried not to tears filled in her eyes. She bit her lip trying to hold back from screaming in pain, and Gaara realized that and fixed the solution to his preferences.

"Ahhhhhh!!!!" Makoto screamed as the sand tightened incredibly, she felt like her body was going to be compressed into a small cube.

"Gaara! Stop it!!" Temari screamed wanting so desperately to save the poor girls life but could do nothing but hope that Gaara listened to her. She hadn't seen him act like this in so long… She could even joke around with him now and act sisterly, unlike how the three siblings were when they were younger. Gaara wouldn't even look at her; he was completely fixated on the poor Lightening Senshi who was in utter pain.

"**Gaara! Stop it!"** Shukaku shouted angrily, not wanting the girl to die so soon, but he affected nothing in the young Kazekage.

Makoto couldn't say it but her eyes did. She was pleading for her life but if it meant standing up for herself, if she died then so be it… She knew she would for a good reason.

Just as her eyes were closing she so softly whispered his name and Gaara would swear up and down that she whispered "Gaara-Kun" As she had last night in her sleep.

As soon as Gaara realized it, his sand dropped and his face sneered at the girl wondering how she had such a power over him by just saying something so simple as his name.

Temari rushed over to her to check her pulse and let a sigh of relief. She then looked up at Gaara in irritation, almost like a mother scolding her child.

"I think you should take the day off and go chill out Gaara." Temari said even though she knew that shouting at him in this state right now wasn't the best thing to do, but if he was to go to the office like that… He was bound to kill _someone_ today…

Gaara did nothing but look at Makoto then finally dart his eyes away, paying no attention to his older sibling, and he evaporated into thin air sand wrapping around his body. As soon as she was sure he was gone she sighed heavily and looked down at Makoto checking to see how much damage she had received. She looked pretty good for coming face to face with death at only seven in the morning.

She then picked her up and took her to the living room and laid her on the couch, not even daring to look at the room Makoto had slept in last night.

"_If they can't even get along now… How the hell are they going to be married…" _ Temari thought and walked into the kitchen hell bent on doing what she woke up to do: fix the damn breakfast!

"Makoto has tried, that I can see but… From the little show they just had Makoto seems to be just as stubborn as she had tried not to be for the past twenty-four hours…" Temari said to herself as she gathered things in a bowl and began mixing them.

"God forbid this happen to us…" She said to herself again and carried on with her cooking.

-:- Later on that morning -:-

Makoto moaned softly on the couch, a smile gracing her lips, she was having a good dream… At the moment at least...

She was chasing the most handsome man she had ever seen. His flaming red hair looked so familiar to her but she couldn't place from where.

She ran faster after him but although his feet were unmoving, with every step she took he got further and further away. She shouted his name but although she said it she still didn't hear herself.

Just as she thought she might reach him, his body exploded into a ravenous monster and it reached out and squeezed her small body. Suddenly piercing red eyes were seen behind it and the monster exploded just as the man she was once chasing had done only seconds ago.

She was left alone, she was crying but didn't know why, then she heard her name being called. She didn't know who it was and she couldn't even differentiate it from male or female but it made her feel calm. Just as she was going to turn around and see who it was she ran into a wall…. Wait… What?

"Oaf!" Makoto shouted as her face smacked against the floor that was once two feet below her.

"Oww… God!" She shouted pulling herself up into a sitting position and rubbed her sore neck, it had definatly been in a ninety degree angle.

She yawned and looked around the living room. It was desolate… Actually she didn't hear anyone in the house. She stood up and looked around the house.

"Hello?... Temari-San?... Kankuro-San?..." she didn't dare ask for Gaara. She may have been confident in herself, but she wasn't stupid!

She walked into the kitchen and saw a small piece of paper on the counter. She walked over and read it aloud.

"Makoto, Kankuro and I have gone to Gaara's office to see if he was alright. Once we do that we'll be going to buy a few things for Kankuro's upcoming mission. We should be home around one… Oh yeah um… I found your communicator… It was um, still in your room…

-Temari"

She face-vaulted. There was no way it was where she left it last time. She knew, she checked!... She looked where the note was and obviously Temari had brought it out here for her and grabbed it…

"Well, I'll think about that later, right now I have other things to take care of…"

Makoto looked up at the clock. It was only eleven, which meant Mako had the house all to herself for two hours.

She dashed to her room. If she had the house to herself she knew **exactly** what she was going to do with her alone time.

"No crazy Kankuro to be mad at me. No psychotic fiancé to worry about killing me… **definatly** no psychotic fiancé to worry about killing me… For the time being that is. So use it wisely Mako-Chan!" She shouted to herself and giggled.

She grabbed a new change of clothing Temari had let her borrow until they would go shopping and grabbed a radio, towel, and a wash cloth. Oh yeah she was really going to like this alone time thing!

-:-

Within minutes Makoto had warmed the water to her liking, turned on the radio and hopped in the shower enjoying the wonderful feeling it gave her.

She smiled getting out after a long forty-five minute shower and began singing along to a song that came on the radio she loved. It was Eyes on Me by Faye Wong (LOVE that song!!)

She had a lovely soft sounding voice she was just self-conscious of other people hearing it, she left that category to Mina and Rei.

She dried her hair, still singing along, unknown what was about to befall our poor Lightening Senshi.

-:-

He growled as he walked up the stairs to his house, his face with a scowl on it, deepening the closer he approached the door. He didn't want to see her, she would hate him and for Kami's sake he didn't want to deal with her!!

He sighed as his hand touched the door knob and heard Shukaku speak up again.

"**Kid, she's not going to hate you!... Wait! You care! Now we're getting somewhere! You-"**

"I'll kill her right now if you don't shut up!" Gaara shouted and Shukaku stopped for he knew that with Gaara's tone of voice, he really meant it… At that moment Shukaku knew that there was a possibility that Gaara would kill the so called "Little Rose."

From then on Shukaku said nothing but only listened, especially when Gaara walked by the bathroom door he stopped, both males listening to the soft enchanting voice coming from the other side of the door.

Gaara heard Shukaku sigh happily but he didn't say anything for he was also enthralled by the harmonized voice.

Suddenly he heard something that brought him out of his mesmerized state by the sound of the door he was a foot away from opening. It was too late! Gaara quickly and stealthily climbed up the ceiling and used his chakra in his feet to keep his upside-down body right above the vixen who just stepped out as he hid himself.

Makoto stopped for a moment looking back and forth.

"I…I swore I just heard…" Makoto said to herself as her brows furrowed in confusion, she knew her hearing was acute!... But she couldn't place this feeling she had…

He breathed in slowly taking in her tantalizing fragrance. She smelled of the Earth and flowers, she was truly a goddess as he had heard Shukaku put it once.

Gaara's eyes widened **so** slightly, as he noticed that not only could he smell her but he was right above her and she only had a simple little lime green towel on… In Shukaku's silent opinion, it was defiantly the best seat in the house.

Then Gaara realized something once it was too late…

Makoto turned to go to 'her' room or as we truly know it as Gaara's room, but there was an obstruction in her way. Oh yeah her eyes were smaller than the tip of a needle.

Her mouth opened to scream but it felt like someone had stolen her voice. There not even an inch away from her face was Gaara, his face even showing a bit of surprise, obviously he didn't know this was going to happen either. She felt a mix of fear and butterflies in her stomach as she felt his hot breath on her cheeks as it spiraled around her face, but he didn't feel hers, she wasn't breathing…

Suddenly she found her breath and for Gaara unfortunately her voice.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!" She screamed bloody murder as she dashed for Gaara's room and that's when it all got worse. She stopped dead in her tracks, she felt it slipping slowly, until again it was too late.

Lucky for Gaara that he had control over his emotions enough for one: not to fall from the ceiling; two: not get a nosebleed; and three: not immediately attack and ravage the body of the girl in front of him, although holding back the voracious demon inside of him who was **obviously** going through some mating season issues and overloads of testosterone, was a little difficult.

Gaara tried to look away but couldn't the demon was gaining control and he was rapidly loosing it. His body quivered as he felt himself start to change. This had never happened before! The only thing that ever caused this kind of problems was irate emotions not… Not one's like he was feeling now, which he disowned every one of them might I add.

He jumped down from the ceiling no longer able to concentrate on his chakra at a time like this.

Makoto quickly grabbed the towel, her face looked worse than what poor Ami-Chans did whenever the girls embarrassed her! This was the most embarrassing day of her life!! She quickly went to turn around and took one glance at Gaara getting ready to speed off behind the door, but she could see something was wrong with him.

No matter how embarrassed she was she knew as her duty as a Senshi she needed to help him… Even though she really didn't want to but his body was changing into something… She couldn't ignore this.

Her left hand clutched her towel close to her body making sure it stayed up.

"Gaara…" She called out softly speaking the first words between them yet since this morning.

He said nothing as he gripped his head, his eyes closed and his face fierce with fury.

"Gaara… Are you…" She paused taking steps closer to him so that her hand was close to him.

"…Are you okay?" She asked and as her fingers lightly brushed his skin his eyes snapped open. With that small, light touch she had done it, she had completely pushed Shukaku into Gaara's body but he didn't transform.

In a split second he had her hand in his, softly stroking it with his fingers as he looked up at her hungrily.

"So soft…" She thought she heard him murmur, while he still stroked her skin.

She gasped when his eyes met hers. There weren't Gaara's firm green eyes that could have matched hers identically almost ten years ago, but no they were a hard yellow craving for her. Unknown to her they were the eyes that belonged to the beast within Gaara that no one had yet told her of…

She tried to rip her hand away but his grip tightened incredibly.

"Gaara! Stop! You're hurting me!" She screamed now letting go of her towel to try and grab her hand away from this lunatic! She knew it would hold up with the way she pretty much glued it to her body and if it did come off… Well she'd have to do something about that later if it did happen

"Do that again…" He said eagerly looking back at her hand.

"What?!!" She screamed freaking because of the weird way he was acting.

His eyes flashed back up to her with a malicious grin.

"Scream his name again." He smiled at her loving to see the fear seep from her eyes.

"Gaara! Stop it! What the hell is your problem you damn psycho!!" Makoto screamed again trying to take her hand away but he squeezed it so hard she screamed out loud and dropped to her knees, tears brimming her eyes.

She couldn't believe this! Why?!... Even though he is Gaara and she only knew him for a day, why would he do this to her!?...

"Do you hate me that much?" She asked tears accumulating more and more into her eyes.

"I thought maybe just once… Just once I could make a relationship work… Even if it was an arranged marriage… I thought you'd- you'd see around our differences, that's what I was trying to do…" Makoto said as she looked at the ground, "Gaara" still gripping her hand looking at her sobbing form.

"I guess… I'll never find anyone…" She cried tears now pouring from her desolate eyes.

Suddenly she felt two fingers lift her chin up to look at him.

"Actually Little Rose, you've got it all backwards." He smiled viciously as inside his body Gaara sneered, he knew what Shukaku was planning on doing and he wasn't going to let him get away with it!

Suddenly "Gaara" let go of Makoto's hand and grabbed his head just as the real Gaara had done only minutes ago.

Makoto **so** was confused as she looked at him shocked, and then his head snapped up to look at her.

"Makoto, get out of here!" The real Gaara shouted Makoto already feeling she could trust him again… Or something like that.

"But, Gaara you-"

"Shut up and leave damn it!" He shouted as she dashed for his room.

She slammed the door behind her and locked it. She breathed heavily and slid down to the floor her eyes wide with fear, tears still in her eyes.

"What's wrong with him?..." She asked and licked her dry lips as she looked around for her communicator and cursed at her stupidity for leaving it in her pants pocket which happened to be in the bathroom next to the unstable man.

She quickly found something to change into. Thank Kami that Temari had left a ton of clothes for her to pick and choose from on the bed!

She paused for a minute and realized something… It was silent… She pressed her ear to the door not making any noise whatsoever.

Her brows furrowed in confusion and she VERY slowly opened the door and peaked out.

Her eyes widened and she stood up and opened the door all the way.

"H-He's not here!..." she then turned around and looked around herself 360 degrees… He wasn't anywhere in sight!

"Wh-What if what happened to him hurt him?..." She asked herself and walked around the house looking for him biting her lip.

"Gaara?... Gaara, are you still here?..." Makoto gulped still terrified the freaky schizo Gaara was going to pop around every corner with a steak knife in his hand.

Makoto turned to look in the living room and saw the front door swinging open in the wind…

Makoto looked away then back at the door her expression was sullen…

"Gaara…" She whispered softly with care and bit her lip. She shouldn't they wouldn't want her to but with Gaara in the condition that he was, she had to see if he was okay… Right?

She took a deep breath and as she walked to the door she pulled the hair tie off of her wrist and began pulling her hair back. By the time she reached the open door it was up but she became distracted by voices coming closer.

"Temari!!" Makoto shouted realizing who it was, she then ran out of the door and down the steps practically running poor Kankuro down, who was in her path of destruction.

"Ma-Makoto? What's wrong and why are you shouting?" Temari asked looking at her like she was an idiot.

"I- It's Gaara!..- Or at least I think it was him…- He- He was like freaking out and his eyes were yellow and then he-… Was stroking… my… hand…" Makoto who started out fast but then realized the words coming out of her mouth made her sound like a psycho herself.

Kankuro looked at her with a stare saying "You really are a dumb ass aren't you?"

"Uhh… Okay, um Makoto lets go sit down and you explain this again after you've calmed down…" Temari said leading them up to the door, as Mako sighed following them.

-:-

"So you're telling me that "Gaara" did **that**?" Kankuro asked as they sat in the living room each a cup of tea in hand.

"NO! Not **Gaara** but… Someone- or some**thing **is what I should say. It was his eyes they had strange markings in them… But the way he acted… I know it wasn't him… He didn't look at me with resentment and annoyance, he looked at me…-" She stopped and blushed which interested Kankuro as he sat forward in curiosity.

"He looked at you and **what?"** Kankuro asked his eyebrow rose in a questioning way as he started her off again. He couldn't help it! He was at least going to **try** and set his brother up with the hotty! He knew that if Gaara needed anything in his life, it was a woman and a good looking one at that!

"He looked at me with… With lustful intent. Trust me! Back in Tokyo, when you get ganged up on in an alley, you get that a **lot** more than wanted." Makoto said her blush intensifying.

Kankuro smiled and sucked in a breath to pester Makoto about her feelings for Gaara, but Temari cut him off.

"Shut up Kankuro!" She snapped catching the two off guard because she was completely serious.

"Don't you realize what Makoto saw? You don't recognize the eyes that she's describing. Think hard Kankuro, what could have made Gaara do that. You're not dumb." She said her voice full of malice and as soon as she finished her sentence Makoto felt Kankuro stiffen next to her.

She looked over and his face was devoured by a look of fear.

"What!? What's wrong with Gaara?!" Makoto shouted looking back and forth between the two. Temari and Kankuro traded glances before Temari began taking Makoto through Gaara's rotten childhood.

-:-

By the time Temari had finished Makoto could no longer suppress the tears daring to show themselves in her eyes.

She put her hand to her mouth in amazement.

"We can never forgive ourselves for the way that we treated him…" Temari whispered as Kankuro looked down at the ground in shame.

"S-So do you think that maybe… Maybe the thing-… I mean Shukaku, was the one who… for lack of a better words, had the intent of- You know?" Makoto asked looking up at Temari, as shivers ran down the panicky Senshi's arms. Temari was going to reply but Kankuro did for her.

"We don't think Makoto, we know it. There's no way Gaara would do that to you, no matter how bad you might think he is, he's changed over the years. That's why he's the Kazekage, and not anyone else."

Makoto felt a weight of insecurity being lifted off of her and replaced with relief.

"_I knew that wasn't Gaara…"_ She thought smiling inwardly to herself.

"Well, Kankuro and I will go look for him. And if anything happens, like he comes back and Shukaku is still present, call me on this, we'll be here as fast as we can okay?" Temari asked as she threw Makoto a radio, as she and Kankuro walked out the door.

"_Gaara…I hope you're okay…"_ Makoto thought to herself sadly looking down at the radio. Makoto sighed and walked back to her room her thoughts still present with the stories that Temari and Kankuro had just finished telling her.

"I should be ashamed to feel pity for myself about my life… I would have never guessed that he would have been through something worse than I have…" Makoto whispered as she laid down on the bed and looked over to the soft pillow next to her.

"Gaara-Kun…" She whispered unknown to herself that she added on the Kun to the end of the sentence as she drifted off to sleep. Her were dreams filled with Gaara's childhood… Maybe if they would have met as kids… Maybe they could have saved one another from the darkness that befell them so long ago…

-:-

Makoto gasped as she flew up from the bed her face and body drenched in sweat her fingers gripping the comforter in his hands… She had heard something that had awoken her.

She looked around at the now dark room.

"It's night already!?" She shouted to herself and threw the covers off of herself.

"Maybe that was Gaara coming home!" She said to herself as she ran out of the bed room and into the living room.

"Gaara!?..." She shouted and looked at the door which was shut and all the lights were off in the house.

"Temari!? Kankuro?! Did you find Gaara!?" She shouted again only getting the reply of the wind outside spinning around the house.

She sighed sadly and looked out the window her eyes meeting the moon…

"Damn you Gaara…" She whispered to herself, but said it without negativity, only worry…

Suddenly while she was looking out the window she saw something that caught her eye. There were small steps on the side of the house leading up to the roof. Makoto smiled and opened the window and climbed out.

Thank God she was agile and could balance on the small steps, because it didn't help that there wasn't a railing to hold on to.

As she rounded the house to the top she was now able to see the huge flat top of the house. There was nothing on top of it except one thing… Or one figure…

Makoto gasped, which she couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing to do at the moment because, the persons head snapped in her direction and as it did her eyes widened.

"Gaara…" She whispered.

She was so engrossed about being worried that it was Shukaku and not Gaara she had forgotten about her safety and forgotten that gravity was an ass and she needed to hold on to the side of the house to keep from falling.

She sucked in breath out of shock as she circled her arms forward trying to keep her self from falling backwards but that didn't help. She felt her feet lose the small steps that were once below her. Out of habit she squeezed her eyes together and crossed her arms in front of her face to try and protect herself as a dry scream escaped her mouth.

For those few seconds she felt like she was almost flying and then she felt herself being jerked back as she dared not to open her eyes. She was moving and not forward, but backwards.

By the time she opened her eyes and realized what was going on she met his angry eyes.

"Do you try to kill yourself every time you're in my presences just so I'll have to go out of my way to save you?" He growled but she noted it wasn't as lethal as it could have been so she didn't fight back… Besides, they both knew that the answer was negative… come to think of it, why HAD she been on such a Usagi klutz roll ever since she had been here!?

Before she could carry on that mental conversation with herself any further, she noticed that Gaara still hadn't put her down yet. Her head snapped up and looked at him again fear in her eyes.

"Shit…" She mumbled realizing that it wasn't Gaara.

Gaara smirked, and replied to her obvious accusation.

"So… They told you, did they? Well I guess you know to stay out of my way now then don't you, Kino? And no, Shukaku isn't present at the moment, I was just waiting on your heated comeback, I was beginning to become used to them." He said in his normal unmoving voice as he set her down.

"**Which the not present bit I blame on you…"** Shukaku growled in his mind.

Makoto looked down at the ground, still not replying.

"Gaara… I…" Makoto stopped and sighed heavily.

"At a loss for words, simply amazing." He said arrogantly.

"Would you let me talk!!" Makoto commanded angrily looking up at him, her eyes getting misty again as she cursed her dramatic emotions. Now when she looked at him all she could picture was horrible look on his baby like features as a child when his uncle had tried to kill him.

"Look, tell me what I need to do… If I have to leave and then die because I couldn't stay here then so be it, because I'm obviously an inconvenience for all of you and then the marriage would be off and I would most likely be killed by that damn Orochimaru. But none of that will matter if you tell me here and now that I need to leave because, from what Temari and Kankuro told me, this type of thing has never happened before… So obviously you don't know how to deal with it. So tell me Gaara, should I or should I not leave? It's your call alone." Makoto said to him her voice no more audible than a whisper.

Gaara had never seen her so serious before, and she was standing before him asking him to pretty much telling her to go and die or stay here and risk dieing.

Gaara's face furrowed as he looked at her.

"What kind of an idiotic question is that? You are a mission and I have never failed any mission." Gaara replied, unknown to him that he had just pissed her off big time.

"So, that's all I am?... That's all I am!? A mission, which in other words is an inconvenience! So I guess that means I'm leaving! Well sayonara Kazekage-**Sama**! See yo-"

Makoto was stopped by Gaara's sand capturing her leg that was in mid stride, which made her fall to the ground. But again before her face could hit the cement of the building, the sand was there to protect her. Makoto propped herself up on her elbows. She turned her neck around, a scowl on her face to yell at him but stopped.

Her expression relaxed and then became sincere. It was almost like a light bulb came on and she understood.

"Gaara…" She whispered as she looked at his profile. He had turned to the side; his arms were crossed over his chest like a little child pouting. When Gaara had grabbed her leg and protected her from falling, that was his true answer, although at first he may have meant it to be hurtful, it ended up being Makoto's mental awakening… He had no idea that she was taking it that way when he didn't even mean to make her think that way… He was just angry with her…

"_He really wants me to stay?..." _ She thought to herself, with a small smile on her face.

That was two weeks ago…

No, they still fought, causing Makoto to come to yet another of many near death experiences to come with being the fiancée of Subaku no Gaara…

She let out a heavy sigh as she found herself sneaking up to the roof like she had done every night, since the incident on the roof with him.

She liked it up here; it almost made her feel at home when she stared up at the moon.

As she watched the moon it was unknown to her that someone else was watching her as well from an unseen place.

Once she started this little habit, it at first pissed him off because this was his place, his territory. And here she comes waltzing in taking his place on the roof to stare at the moon.

But now he found himself staring at something other than the moon and the people below him…

"**Why don't you just go and talk to her!!"** The demon shouted.

"I would do that why? So you can come out anytime she tries to touch me, or what if she bumps into to me and then boom, I fail the mission, and war with Konoha. If I keep away from her but make sure she doesn't get herself killed, then no war." Gaara said obviously he had planned that out for a while now.

"**You're such a liar, and you're the worst kind of liar… The ones that lie to themselves…"** Shukaku said with a heavy sigh.

Gaara was going to reply but a high pitched beeping sound pierced through the air. His head snapped in Makoto's direction out of curiosity.

" Hey Usagi-Chan." Makoto smiled down at the hime.

"Hey Mako-Chan! I was just wondering how you and your ahem- **fiancé** were doing." Usagi smiled as she emphasized the fiancé part. Makoto had told her a week and a half ago about Gaara and the only thing Usagi could be was positive about the arrangement. The others, well… They weren't too pleased with Makoto's situation.

Makoto sighed, bowing her head in shame.

"Well… I don't know really…. The only time we're around each other is when we're fighting or in the mornings, and that's only sometimes… I think he's purposefully avoiding me…" Makoto replied not even trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

"**See, now look at what you've done to Little Rose! You've depressed our woman!- I MEAN your woman…. Heh.." **Shukaku said correcting himself before Gaara flipped out.

"Aww!! Mako-Chan!! No worries he's probably just shy!!" Gaara heard Usagi squeal.

He didn't like that girl. Makoto had spoke to her on many occasions and she annoyed the shit out of him…( lol, poor Usa-Chan! I can't wait until she and Gaara meet face to face!! XD)

"Um…" Makoto sweat dropped.

"I wouldn't call it shy Usa… He's… I don't know! He- God! He's a type of person who doesn't say much and when he does, it's rude and obnoxious and degrading… But, I've never felt this way before… I want to fight with him just to talk to him, just so he'll acknowledge my existence for once." Makoto replied with a blush as she looked away from Usagi and something caught her eye.

"Well that, Mako-Chan is called love! That's exactly how Mamo-Chan and I used to be and look at us now!... Mako… What's wrong?" Usagi asked as she looked at Makoto who wasn't looking at her but something she couldn't see.

Suddenly Makoto snapped out of her trance and looked at Usagi.

"Oh! Sorry Usa-Chan, I just thought I saw something… Um, hey Usa do you think that I can call you back in a minute? I'm going to head inside… It's starting to scare me out here." Makoto said standing up and looking around herself.

"Sure Mako, talk to you in a minute!" Usagi smiled and the screen turned to static just as Makoto shut it.

Gaara couldn't understand it! The only people out here were him and her but there was no way it was him that she had heard because she was looking in the other direction from him…

"What the Hell was that?..." She asked herself looking around; Gaara could tell by the look on her face that she was frightened.

"**Don't you sense it kid?... There's something powerful out here and I think it wants to play a little cat and mouse with Mako"** Shukaku growled , letting Gaara know that he was serious because never had Gaara heard Shukaku call her by her real name. Gaara figured he had better move to her side and think of an excuse to tell her why he was there later.

He quickly jumped out of his hiding spot and next to Makoto making her jump and slug him in the jaw.

"Oh God! Gaara… I-I'm so sorry! I thought you were the enemy or Orochimaru… But I just-" Gaara's sand slapped over her mouth as he now sensed the entity as well.

He mentally berated himself for being too engrossed with Makoto not to notice before, this was a powerful person. What pissed him off though was that he couldn't place where they were.

"Blah! Yuck! Eww!! What the Hell did you do that for!? God! I officially never want to see sand for the rest of my life! You dumb bastard you take care of this yourself!" Makoto rambled on as she walked down the small steps and away from Gaara before she decided to hit him.

"Who was that?..." Gaara asked realizing that the power was gone and walked after Makoto.

The two figures in the darkness smiled lethally.

-:-

"So, what did you get him?" Makoto snapped out of her thoughts of the night before by the sound of Temari's voice.

"Huh?" Makoto asked a cross the table and she and the eldest sand sibling sat alone eating breakfast on the account of Kankuro and Gaara had decided they were going to go somewhere… Well Kankuro decided he just made Gaara come for some unknown reason.

"I said what did you get him?" Temari asked again a sly grin on her face.

"Get who what and why?" Makoto asked confused by what Temari was talking about.

"Uh, tomorrow's St. Valentines Day Makoto… I just thought you might get Gaara something. It's obvious that that's why Kankuro took him out today. So he could get something for you." Temari replied as Makoto blushed at the thought of getting anything from anyone on Valentine's Day.

Her eyes became misty and dreamy as she pictured Gaara walking in through the door dressed in a black suit and smiling dashingly. He would walk over and kiss her on the lips and get down on one knee and propose to her-….

"Yeah right!" Makoto mumbled to herself the blush on her face disappearing.

" _Gaara couldn't be ANY farther from that!"_ Makoto thought to herself as she caught Temari staring at her with a concerned look.

"Um, Makoto are you okay you just like completely spaced out for five minutes." Temari asked.

"Oh yeah! I'm great… But ano… I don't know what to get Gaara…" She smiled sheepishly.

Temari smiled at her and jumped up.

"Then get ready because we're going shopping!" Temari smiled, as Makoto's face lit up with excitement and she dashed back to her room to Gaara's room to change. Yes I said Gaara's, although Mako still had no idea that it was his.

For some reason when Temari had gone to speak to Makoto about staying in Gaara's room Gaara stopped her.

After Makoto had walked away he told her to forget about it and let her stay there because it wasn't like he slept anyway. Temari smiled when she watched him walk away because she knew Gaara was taking Makoto on more than a mission, even though she and Kankuro were the only ones who noticed.

"I'm ready!" Makoto shouted to her, a smile on her face as she popped up in front of Temari.

"Okay! Let's go!" Temari shouted happily as they walked out the door.

"Yosh!" Makoto replied smiling.

Funny thing was, they were both thinking the same thing. They both felt as if they were gaining a sister. Makoto had felt this feeling before with the girls and now she was just happy she had someone here that was like being at home in Tokyo all over again.

-:-

The two men walked into a store which Gaara, unfortunately for him, paid no attention to the name.

Gaara was too busy thinking about the dark figure from the other night.

"_Shukaku… You said that whoever it was that night was going after her, right?"_ Gaara asked Shukaku.

"**Hai… But I don't know who it was… The only thing I can tell you is that, it wasn't Orochimaru, that's for sure."** Shukaku answered as Gaara stopped in the middle of the store and looked around him. All around him there were boxes of way too expensive chocolates and frilly pink things, and every single thing he looked at said 'I love you' on it… It was morbidly depressing for him…

"Where the hell am I?!" Gaara shouted to Shukaku, as the demon snickered.

"**We're in a-"**

"Oh! Kazekage-Sama! What a wonderful surprise it is to see you here! So I guess the rumors are true about you having a fiancée! I bet you're in here to buy the pretty girl something aren't you!" The bubbly saleslady practically shouted to the whole world, as she smiled gleefully at Gaara, as he gave her a confused look.

"Oh good! I know just the thing you should get her!" The young blonde woman dashed and within two seconds she was back putting a small girly decorated jar in his hands.

"She'll love this! I just know it! The Chocolate Body Paint seems to be a hit with the younger couples as yourself!" ( XD LMAO!!) She winked at him with a small blush on her face.

He heard Shukaku get **very** silent then start to giggle.

"_What the Hell can she do with this?"_ Gaara thought as Shukaku burst out laughing at him. The poor Kazekage was clueless about the true guilty pleasure of the chocolate.

Gaara's expression was no different than what it always was; he looked down at the jar in his hand and back up at her.

"I don't want i-" Suddenly Kankuro, who was eavesdropping, jumped in.

"He'll take it!" He shouted grabbing it out Gaara's hands and putting back in the young woman's. He knew all too well what the intention of the product was for and found it hilarious if Gaara was to give it to Makoto.

"Oh great! I'll ring you up right over here and wrap for you as well!" She smiled at the two and bounced away.

Before Gaara could yell at his older sibling the lady spoke handing him the bag.

"Now you be careful Kazekage-Sama!" The lady winked at him as Kankuro snickered as the confused and dazed boy walked out the bag in hand. He was so lost…

-:-

"Why did you make me buy this?" Gaara asked Kankuro as the older boy lied.

"Because, I over heard Temari and Makoto talking and she got you something for Valentines Day and you can't not get her anything!... Besides I think you two will EVENTUALLY use it…" Kankuro smiled slyly at Gaara.

"I thought the gift was for her." Gaara stated in his monotone voice. Kankuro couldn't help it; he burst out laughing as well as Shukaku.

"Never mind! You'll thank me later!" His older sibling chuckled as he slapped Gaara on the back as they walked down the streets of Suna.

"Hey, well look at the irony of this." Kankuro said stopping as he looked over to a bench next to a shop and saw a man talking to Makoto who was blushing like crazy. In some certain person's opinion, the man was a little too close to her for liking. She looked uncomfortable especially when the man reached out and stroked her face, that was it in a flash he was gone.

-:-

"Do you think he'll like it?" Makoto asked Temari as the two walked out of a shop similar to the one Kankuro and Gaara had just left.

"Oh course he will!... I hope…" Temari laughed as she replied.

"They know don't they?... They know I'm the one that'll… Marry him…" Makoto asked Temari, Gaara's present in hand as they walked down the streets people pointing and whispering at Makoto.

"Hai… Just ignore them; honestly the girls are all jealous." Temari smiled as Makoto sweat dropped.

"Well someone needs to give them the message that they're not missing anything." Makoto said sadly, as Temari looked at her glumly.

"Don't worry Makoto; you two will get over your differences sooner or later."

"I was hoping for sooner but it looks like it's going to be later. Trust me Temari, right now; I'm forcing myself to retrain my anger! I would have killed him already if it was my choice… Besides I bet he's thinking that same exact thing…" Makoto said sadly looking at the other people around them.

Temari sighed as they walked on, it's not like she could say anything to that.

"Well, to be honest Makoto, I really think he likes you… No you know what I don't think he does, I know he does! If you were any other girl, he would have killed her! Trust me! You should see what happens when girls would try and flirt with him… But you seem like you get under his skin but, it's weird because it's almost like he doesn't mind it and if anything…" Temari looked at her and smiled.

"If anything, I think he likes it." She laughed as she watched Makoto's face lit up like Rudolph's nose.

"Oh let's look here!" Makoto shouted as she pointed to a cute shop, trying to get Temari off the subject of her and Gaara's relationship.

"I suppose…" Temari sighed sadly since she was just getting Makoto to open up.

The two walked in and looked around Temari went off in one direction while Makoto in the other.

Makoto looked down at a small figurine of Gaara in his Kazekage outfit and Makoto began giggling. It was like he was the way the Senshi were treated in Tokyo, even the merchandise!

She HAD to buy this and show the girls… Well that was if they could ever see each other!

She still giggled as she looked at the small Gaara in her arms. She walked up to the cashier and paid for the item and began looking around for Temari to tell her that she was ready to leave and smiled seeing Temari blushing as a hot guy was chatting her up.

She giggled and walked outside to wait on her to come out and look for her, Temari deserved a hot guy like the one that was talking to her and Makoto wasn't about to ruin her chance.

Makoto sighed as she sat down on the bench looking at what she had bought Gaara for Valentine's Day.

It was a nice bottle of cologne; it was her favorite from D.K.N.Y. Juice for Men. She opened the cap and smelled the fragrance and felt her heart flutter, she loved that smell! It was so sexy and alluring and Gaara in that! She was afraid about what might happen! (All you girls know what I mean! It could be the biggest ass of a man but if he smells good! Mister, you better watch out, 'cause you might get raped! LMAO!! )

Makoto blushed as she put the bottle back in the bag and before she could let her mind wander any further she was interrupted.

"Waiting for your boyfriend?"

Her head snapped up and as soon as she saw the man her jaw dropped. The man was tall and had beautiful cerulean eyes and shaggy black hair. He had tanned skin, most likely natural if he lived here, and a sexy smile with perfect white teeth. Mako was on cloud nine!

"U-Um… No, I'm waiting on my friend." Makoto cursed herself for stuttering, as her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"_Get yourself together girl! You have a fiancé now damn it!"_ Makoto screamed to herself in her mind and then felt something she didn't like. The man had sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

"So, **do** you have a boyfriend cutie?" He asked smiling at her, staring right into her eyes.

"No, I don't have a boyfriend but I have a fiancé… And my name is Makoto, not **cutie…**" She replied not liking the way this guy was looking at her.

The guy looked at her then down to her ring finger, with a sly smile on his face.

"Trying to play hard to get, I see… Heh well I'm up for the chase." The guy said leaning towards her.

"What the Hell are you talking about!?" Makoto asked angrily and the man picked up her left hand and put it in front of her face.

"You have no ring, darling." He smiled as she cringed at the name darling and his point.

"I don't have the ring yet…" She said taking her hand away glaring at him… Well it was the truth damn it!

"Right, but like I said before, I'm up for the chase _Makoto_..." He replied, obviously not believing her.

"I'm pretty sure you might want to back off. My fiancé is out today and trust me you won't want to get on his bad side." Makoto said looking away from the man praying to God that she would see Gaara.

"Oh really? Then who's your fiancé?" He asked looking at her still smiling.

"The Kazekage, Gaara." She replied looking at him waiting to see the look of fear on his face, but instead he burst out laughing.

"Why are you laughing!?" She screamed getting angrier by the moment.

"Because you just told me you were the Kazekage's fiancée! The man wouldn't go within a ten foot poll of a woman!" The man laughed and then looked up at her.

"Now Mako-Chan, why don't you give it up and let me take you out to dinner?" He asked stroking her face with his hand as she couldn't suppress her blush.

Suddenly the next thing Makoto knew was that she was somehow lifted in the air and now behind someone and she heard a shout of pain.

She blinked then realized what was going on.

"I suggest that you get up and leave as fast as you can before I decide to kill you." She heard the voice she had been dieing to hear for the past five minutes.

"_Arigato Kami!"_ Makoto said mentally and put her hands together looking up and the sky thankfully.

"K-Kazekage-Sama!! I-I didn't know! I-"

"You now have five seconds to leave, and if I ever catch you-" Before Gaara could finish the man was gone and only a trail of dust was behind him.

"**Yeah! She's ours bitch!"** Shukaku shouted and again quickly corrected himself.

Gaara turned around to see Mako behind him a small smile on her face and a faint blush as she looked at the ground.

Gaara then turned back around and began walking.

"Come, we're leaving." Gaara said making Makoto look up and run up to him as he walked home.

"But what about Temari?" She asked looking up at him, a blush still present.

"Kankuro will take care of it." Gaara said not daring to look at her.

Makoto looked down and saw a bag in his hand and she smiled looking at the store name on the bag.

"Sooo… You went shopping too as I can see." She smiled trying to peek in the bag, but Gaara didn't even try and move away so she couldn't see.

She crossed and her arms a crossed her chest and pouted like a little kid.

"You're no fun Gaara! You need to try and relax!" Makoto shouted playfully, but Gaara was in Gaara mode (big surprise) and didn't reply except for a 'hn'

Makoto sighed as they walked together back to the house getting many stares from everyone.

-:- Valentine's Day -:-

Gaara was getting ready to walk out the door and to his office when Makoto stopped him.

"Gaara! Wait a minute! I have something for you…" She said walking up to him.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Gaara…" Makoto said blushing as she handed him the small package wrapped in a paper with small pink hearts and cupid on it.

"I hope you like it; I picked it out myself…" Makoto blushed as Temari peeked around the kitchen to see them.

Gaara looked at Makoto then back down to the unwrapped gift.

"**Well open it kid!" **Shukaku said anxiously, as Gaara unwrapped the gift and looked at the bottle shaped like an apple.

Makoto was getting excited and grabbed it out of his hands, like any person would when they want to know what others think about their gift, and opened the box for him getting out the bottle.

"See, smell." Makoto urged putting it up to his nose, Gaara's face was unamused

Gaara took the bottle and smelt it; he had to admit it didn't smell bad at all.

"Thanks." Was all that he said as he sat it down on the table next to him, leaving Makoto with a saddened face.

As he walked out the door, Shukaku cursing at him for being so mean, he turned around.

"Be ready at seven, we're going to dinner tonight." He said more polite than when he thanked her and walked out.

Makoto stood there for a minute, and jaw dropped and her face in a scowl.

She didn't know whether to be pissed or overjoyed!

So she settled for both.

"Arg!! You-you ass! You couldn't even be a little nicer and at least put it on!... But.. Wait I don't know how to dress for tonight… Or what should I wear! I don't have any clothes! Are we going to a nice place?... Well we better, because that cologne wasn't cheap… ASS!" She screamed than sat down on the floor her arms crossed and mumbling to herself.

Temari looked at her and gulped.

"I think she needs to figure this out on her own…" Temari said and sunk back into the kitchen.

"Lucky Kankuro is on a mission and won't have to deal with these two's ranging hormones and won't be back until tonight… Ass…" Temari mimicked Makoto.

-:- Later that night -:-

Makoto heard Gaara shut the door behind him all the way back from her room and quickly finished doing her hair. She smiled as she took one last look at herself.

In the end she could only find a lime green dress that came to her knees. It was a little tight which she minded but figured the male population wouldn't… Excluding Gaara (or so she thought) At the bottom of the dress it had layers of different colored green fabric. The thin material she decided was the best pick since she _was_ in the desert after all.

She had only put her hair in a half pony tail bun and scrunched it up so it would look dressier. She even put makeup on! So this had better be a good night. She grabbed her purse and walked out to meet Gaara.

-:-

Gaara had sat on the couch waiting for Makoto to come out. He looked at his watch it, was ten after seven he growled at her unpunctuality.

He looked over on the table next to the door and saw the cologne that she had bought him.

"**Well, put it on baka! You already pissed her off enough today don't you think?! And don't forget about her gift!"** Shukaku shouted to him as he picked up the bottle and sprayed some of it on himself.

"_I was going to anyway, demon. And I'll give her the gift when I feel like it."_ Gaara growled and sat the bottle down as Temari walked in.

"Are you ready for your first date Gaara?" Temari asked playfully as she sat down.

"Shut up Temari." He growled as she laughed.

"Well you should be, because Mako-Chan… Well you'll have to see for yourself." Temari replied with a smile.

Just as Gaara was going to reply, Makoto walked out catching his attention.

"**Dear Kami! Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"** Shukaku shouted in his mind.

Gaara couldn't help but stare at her, his emotions weren't there but, on the inside he could feel his heart beating faster and faster as the blushing girl walked towards him.

"Gaara…" Makoto said acknowledging him as he stood up. As soon as he stood and towered over her, Makoto blushed even more and looked away. She could smell the cologne on him.

"Let's get going… We're already late." He said and turned to the door.

"You're not such an ass after all Gaara…" Makoto whispered to herself her blush deepening.

She walked after him and looked back at Temari who was giving her a thumbs up.

Just as Gaara reached for the door they heard voices outside and stopped.

Then abruptly the door flew open revealing a worn out looking Kankuro with a black eye and two suit cases in hand.

Makoto's eyes widened as he walked past Gaara and then Mako.

"Kankuro you-"

"I **don't** want to talk about it Makoto." He stated harshly and Makoto couldn't help but giggle.

Then something else caught their attention… Other voices.

"You know, you really shouldn't have done that to him… He didn't know-" The soft and gentle voice was cut off by a more raspy one.

"Oh he did too know!"

"I don't think we should fight at all." A small little girl's voice replied happily.

"No…" Makoto breathed as Gaara looked over at her with confusion as the people walked through the door.

"Well, you know what? That man deserved to be hit Ho-"

"Ruka?... Ruka-Chan!!?" Mako shouted as she zoomed past Gaara and tackled her friend.

"Ko-Koto? Oh my God! I was so worried about you! We didn't hear from you and we weren't able to talk to the others!" Haruka shouted hugging Makoto tightly and then let her down at the feeling of someone pulling on her dress.

"Mako-Chan! Papa hit the clown! It was really funny! You should have seen it!" Hotaru smiled up at her and Makoto got down on her knees and hugged the little girl.

"I'm sure it was Taru-Chan…" Mako giggled.

"I missed you Mako-Chan! Oh and your food too! It's always so yummy!" Hotaru shouted hugging her.

"I missed you too Taru." Mako smiled and stood up hugging Michiru.

"It's good to know that you're alright Mako. Ruka was freaking out since I couldn't find you in my mirror." Michiru said in-between the hug as the two laughed.

Once Makoto pulled out of the hug she looked over at Gaara who, if looks could kill, well Haruka would only be a pile of dust… If that…

"**Who the HELL does that guy think he is coming in here and getting all over our Little Rose!?"** Shukaku shouted as Gaara fumed, he was beginning to get tired of these men jumping on his fiancée!

"Oh shit…" Mako said looking at Gaara realizing that he thought Haruka was a man…

"_This is going to be difficult…"_ Makoto thought to herself sweat dropping….

TBC!!!

-:-

Next time; dinner date, literally mission impossible! Hah! Lol! So what'd you guys think!? Yes I know, Gaara didn't give her the gift but that just leaves more funny for chapter four now doesn't it! Well it's EXTRA long because it was EXTRA late hehe, so I hope you enjoyed it because I don't think I'll EVER write another chapter that long again! XP Also after either this or W.I.T.S. is finished, whichever is first, I'm thinking about writing a Avatar/SM x-over and it will be a Mako/Zuko story, so tell me what you think about that. Please review! I love them! Hehe! P.S. So who do you think the enemies were on the roof w/ Gaara and Mako? I just want to know you're thoughts! Chow!

-Katness Monster! Lol!


	4. Misinterpretations and Embarrassments

**Warning- RANT UP AHEAD!!!!**

You know I just don't get it… I have seen some of the most horribly written stories with soooooo many reviews while the amazing ones have none or very few! And here lately I have been seeing some of the most HORRID Naruto/Sm x-overs in my LIFE!!! And the sad part is that everyone LOVES the damn things!!! And I'm not tooting my own horn here; I'm just saying that there are PLENTY of better authors out there that deserve more credit than what they have!! Please tell me that I'm not the ONLY one who sees these shatastic stories!! But the sad part is; I'm too nice to flame anyone… Ever…

And now I'm REALLY pissed because… I CAN'T TYPE!!!! I pinky finger is broke and in a splint and I never knew that I depended on the little guy so much until now, and now my whole well formed typing is screwed up and I have to peck the keyboard like a chicken!!!! And the doctors said they're not sure when I need to get it off yet! But I'm going to the pediatrician tomorrow morning so, I'll learn my fate then….So now, my WITS chapter five is going to take even longer to post!!! Grrr, everything lately has been dragging in the mud! Well anyways, on a higher note, I dedicate this chapter to Moifah-Chan who was kind enough to make her story a Mako/Riku for me! Huggles! Thanks again!! And now all the Taru-Chan fans out there, who read this, go and thank her because all the Taru goodness in this chapter is in her honor:D Also all you Mako KHI & KHII fans out there, Alex (Blue Shadow Star) has a SM/KHII X-over w/ Mako as the center character! Also, I can tell all you Taru-Chan fans, she plays an important role in it as well, but that's all the spoilers I'm going to tell you because they're unauthorized ( Sorry Alex, I couldn't help myself! XD )

It's called Darkness Within and came out today! XD Squee, I'm so excited it's AMAZING! High-fives Alex. "Way to go girly, you and me updating on the same day, that deserves a virtual whoot!...WHOOT!!" LMAO! Well sorry for all the gabbing, but here's chapter four!

Disclaimer- I own nothing kiddies!!

Desert Rose

Chapter Four- Misinterpretations and Embarrassments, Mission: Possible

-:-Last time-:-

"You're not such an ass after all Gaara…" Makoto whispered to herself her blush deepening.

She walked after him and looked back at Temari who was giving her a thumbs up.

Just as Gaara reached for the door they heard voices outside and stopped.

Then abruptly the door flew open revealing a worn out looking Kankuro with a black eye and two suit cases in hand.

Makoto's eyes widened as he walked past Gaara and then Mako.

"Kankuro you-"

"I **don't** want to talk about it Makoto." He stated harshly and Makoto couldn't help but giggle.

Then something else caught their attention… Other voices.

"You know, you really shouldn't have done that to him… He didn't know-" The soft and gentle voice was cut off by a more raspy one.

"Oh he did too know!"

"I don't think we should fight at all." A small little girl's voice replied happily.

"No…" Makoto breathed as Gaara looked over at her with confusion as the people walked through the door.

"Well, you know what? That man deserved to be hit Ho-"

"Ruka?... Ruka-Chan!!?" Mako shouted as she zoomed past Gaara and tackled her friend.

"Ko-Koto? Oh my God! I was so worried about you! We didn't hear from you and we weren't able to talk to the others!" Haruka shouted hugging Makoto tightly and then let her down at the feeling of someone pulling on her dress.

"Mako-Chan! Papa hit the clown! It was really funny! You should have seen it!" Hotaru smiled up at her and Makoto got down on her knees and hugged the little girl.

"I'm sure it was Taru-Chan…" Mako giggled.

"I missed you Mako-Chan! Oh and your food too! It's always so yummy!" Hotaru shouted hugging her.

"I missed you too Taru." Mako smiled and stood up hugging Michiru.

"It's good to know that you're alright Mako. Ruka was freaking out since I couldn't find you in my mirror." Michiru said in-between the hug as the two laughed.

Once Makoto pulled out of the hug she looked over at Gaara who, if looks could kill, well Haruka would only be a pile of dust… If that…

"**Who the HELL does that guy think he is coming in here and getting all over our Little Rose!?"** Shukaku shouted as Gaara fumed, he was beginning to get tired of these men jumping on his fiancée!

"Oh shit…" Mako said looking at Gaara realizing that he thought Haruka was a man…

"_This is going to be difficult…"_ Makoto thought to herself sweat dropping….

"Gaara…" Makoto said and she knew that he heard her but at the moment he and Haruka were having a death glare contest.

"Koto-Chan, where'd you find this guy?" Haruka spat hatefully while Gaara showed no new emotion than what he had before.

"A-Ano… Ruka… He's the Kazekage of Suna… Didn't Sets tell you?... He's my um… My fiancé…" Makoto said with a blush as her head whipped in Mako's direction, with a venomous glare.

"Makoto… What the HELL are you talking about, _fiancé_?" Haruka growled.

"Now, Ruka… I'm sure Suna forgot to tell us about-"

"You know she would purposefully leave that out Michi!" Haruka snapped.

"Haruka! Look… It's the only way we could make this work out! I couldn't be protected due to his Council telling him he was not taking anyone in unless they knew that they were loyal and well… Marriage was the only option, or would you rather me be killed and unable to help protect Usa-Hime!? You need to stop worrying about me and more about our future queen!" Makoto lashed out more than she wanted on her dear friend.

"**Way to go Little Rose! You tell that bastard to point his cock at someone else!"** Shukaku shouted happily.

Haruka's face hardened as she walked off to where Kankuro was. Michiru sighed and followed giving Makoto an apologetic look.

"Damn… Ruka! Matte! I- Hey! Gaara!!" Makoto shouted as she felt Gaara's hand pull her back to him.

"We're leaving. We can deal with this when we come back." He stated as firmly as he could. Makoto's head snapped around to make a rebuttal but the look in his eyes made her hold her tongue… He was really pissed…

Suddenly he felt small hands tug at his Kazekage robes and he looked down at the little violet eyed girl, who smiled at him like the world was her playground.

"Are you Mako-Mama's special friend? Do you love her? You should… But you should watch out for her hands! She's really good at sneaking up on you and tickling you!... Did she say you looked like her old boyfriend? She says that a lot when she sees guys she likes… She probably likes you, 'cause this one time I heard her tell the Senshi she liked guys who had pretty eyes and nice-"

"Okay! Taru! Hehehehehe!! That's enough talking!! Why don't you go play with um… With Aunt Temari over there! I'm sure she'd love to meet you! And maybe she'll let you ride on her giant fan!" Makoto said as she covered Hotaru's mouth before she said anything that she shouldn't.

"Really!?" She shouted and bounced over to the said blonde that now was throwing a death glare in her direction.

Makoto let out a long sigh of relief as she looked back at Gaara who was still looking at where the little girl had tugged on his robes.

Mako closed her eyes and sighed again. When she opened her eyes Gaara was staring back.

"Let's just go…" She said as she waved by to Temari who was trying to hide her fan from Hotaru, but hiding a giant fan wasn't that easy.

-:-

"We need to talk Gaara…" Makoto said a bit harshly as they walked to the restaurant.

His silence was her confirmation.

"Okay one; you need to treat my friends with more respect and don't be like a little two year old and say-

"_Who the Hell does this bitch think she's talking to!? Accusing me of being a little two year old child!!... I'm gonna kill her!"_ Gaara thought as his fists clenched.

And apparently Shukaku agreed with him since he didn't object this time.

"Well Haruka started it!" And I'm gonna talk to her when we-"

"You mean him…" Gaara growled as he corrected her.

"Let me finish, damn it! Number freaking two- Agh!" Makoto gasped as sand crawled up her bare legs.

This time she wasn't afraid and she looked over at him no fear in her eyes.

That pissed him off to no end.

"I'm killing her." Gaara mumbled.

How could anyone have such a power over him! What was he going to do next!? Roll over and let her rub his belly!? Over her dead body!... Which could be true in a few seconds.

As Makoto felt the sand tighten she grimaced but didn't falter.

"Haruka is a girl!" She shouted angrily at him as she felt the sand tighten and bring her closer.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me!?" He hissed in her ear giving her chills and the bad part was she didn't know if they were bad or good chills…

"What did you expect me to do go " Oh Gaara-Kun! Don't worry about getting jealous like a little school boy! Ruka's a girl!" Makoto spat as he sat her down painfully on the ground.

She stood up and dusted herself off.

"You know what!? So far, this is shitty! And you want to know why!? Because you're acting ridiculous! If I liked her then maybe I-… You know what!? Forget it; let's just get this over with…" Makoto said bitterly as she walked onward.

He and Shukaku both heard it; they heard the bitter loneliness in her voice… Neither would deny it either…

"**You don't think Little Rose is um… Like that, do you?"** Shukaku asked as Gaara was beginning to wonder the same thing.

"_This bites ass!"_ Gaara thought angrily as he walked up to her. Her eyes quickly shifted to his then he watched her look away to something else… But not him…

The rest of the way was silent, the cool desert night air sent goose bumps down her arms and out of instinct she placed her hands over them. Maybe the short dress was a stupid idea! I mean she knew that deserts were freezing at night! She was so discombobulated…

People whispered and looked at her like she was an alien; she couldn't **wait** to see how they treated her when they got seated at the restaurant.

"**Ask her!!!... Or I **_**will**_**!"** Shukaku shouted in his mind.

Suddenly, Gaara spoke as they waited in line as they arrived at the restaurant.

"Kino." Gaara spoke softly making Makoto wonder why.

"What?…" She asked back just as softly, but much more venomously.

"You're not… You know…" He spoke sharply, not liking this conversation already.

"Gaara?... A-Are you… Blushing?" Makoto asked stepping closer as he backed away cursing himself for doing so… Weakness; was all he could think. And it was her fault, and now he **hoped** she was gay so he could no longer fall for her every whim.

"Answer the question." He stated stepping closer again, containing himself.

"How do expect me to answer a question when I have no damned idea what the Kazekage's blabbering about!" Makoto retaliated.

"Are you or are you not… Do you want to marry me?" He spat angrily, mentally patting himself on the back for thinking of different way of asking.

Makoto turned a deep red… She was definatly misunderstanding… And Gaara thought that she knew all too well what he was asking her about.

"I- I thought, it didn't matter… I thought you would have guessed already from the-the way I've been acting…" Makoto answered and here's where complete and total misinterpretation ensues.

"Why would it not matter?" He asked like she was stupid.

"What do you mean? I didn't have a choice! It was marry you, or die!... Oh wait! Gaara I didn't mean it like that!... I'm-"

"Why would you apologize? If that's the way you've always felt, you can't change for me." He replied… He didn't like this feeling, it was like loosing something that he wanted so badly, but now he had to let it go…

"No, Gaara, you're not understanding me are you?" She asked, but neither of them realized that no one understood what they were talking about at this point.

He looked down at her to see her looking down at the ground swinging back and forth on the backs of her heels to the ball of her feet. She bit at her bottom lip with a small smile on her face and a deep blush appearing.

"Gaara, I-… I want to marry you… I mean, that's if you-you do." She said blushing the color of his hair.

Gaara was shocked! He didn't want to marry her! If she couldn't be just his, he didn't want her!

"You mean you're Bi!" He shouted, showing the most emotion Makoto had ever seen him use.

"What!? What the Hell are you talking about!!?" Makoto screeched.

"You! You're all for her!" He spat hatefully, nudging his head in the direction of the house where Haruka resided. He was so pissed that he was put out by an onna!

"Nani!!? Gaara! Ruka's just a good friend! Nothing more than that and my partner!... And **not** the kind you're thinking! You-you-… Ass!" Makoto screamed getting many stares and shocked looks from people… Gaara's people; who looked up to him for guidance! And he was standing here getting trampled by a tough-ass little princess.

Makoto turned around and fumed as she crossed her arms under her chest.

He could tell by the tense look of her shoulders that she was pissed… Again, not like it wasn't normal for her though.

Finally, Gaara thanking Kami, they were now being seated.

"Right this way Kazekage-Sama." The lady smiled and led the way for the couple. They were led to a small little table for two in the secluded part of the restaurant.

"And what would you like to drink?" The lady asked Makoto first and she looked up smiling as kindly as she could.

"Tea, please." She spoke with a saddened tone and then looked down at the flaming candle in the middle of the table.

"And you Kazekage-Sama?" She asked slowly looking away from Makoto to him.

"Sake." Was all he said.

He saw Makoto quickly look up at him with a quizzical look then back down… He knew what she was thinking.

"_Is he even old enough to drink that!... Oh my God! What if he's like twenty-three or something and just looks really young!?"_ Makoto then stopped her thoughts about him getting angry that his face was always floating around in her thoughts.

He had to've been the only hot guy she'd never fallen head-over-heels for!... Okay, well when she first laid her eyes on him she did but now she knew he was an ass!...

"_A big, strong, muscled, red-headed, well-toned, fiery, short-tempered and- STOP IT!!"_ She demanded herself, her hands clenching her dress out of pure hatred.

Gaara watched her fight with herself in amusement.

"**Looks like she's having the same problem that you are, kid… Can't you see, she can't get you off her mind… Look at the blush on her face. She's not hot, hehe, well not in that way at least." **He heard Shukaku coax in his mind.

As the waitress left, he could feel that Makoto had simmered down a bit and that meant he needed to be thinking of something to tell her.

"You know what pisses me off about your false accusation?" Makoto asked bitterly, okay never mind about the simmering down part.

Gaara's eyes connected with hers from across the candle lit table.

"That, you made me spill my guts to you in the process, and you don't even give a damn… You're just like the rest of them." She said whispering to herself as she looked away.

She needed to stop saying things out loud about him that she didn't want to be heard because she was beginning to notice that he did hear her.

"The rest of who?" He asked unemotionally.

She speedily looked up then back down.

"Men in my life." She spoke with angst dripping from her voice.

She looked up to see him staring at her, his silent explanation of telling her to continue.

"No matter how much they told me that they loved me… They always left… In the end… I was always left by myself…Friendship, it's nice, but obviously you can't just live on that all your life… That's something I've learned over the years…" She spoke again, unable to look up at him.

Suddenly the waitress appeared with their drinks.

"Are you two ready to order?" She asked kindly trying to cheer Makoto up.

"I'll have the special." Makoto stated sounding _quite_ similar to Gaara. She didn't even know what the special was or even if they had one but that's what she was getting.

Gaara sighed then looked at the waitress and ordered his food as she walked back to the kitchen to place the orders.

A soft song began to play on the radio above them.

"_Baby's black balloon makes her fly,_

_I almost fell into that hole in your life._

_And you're not thinking about tomorrow,_

'_Cause you were the same as me,_

_But on your knees."_

Gaara looked at her unable to look away. Makoto then looked up catching his eye on her.

Unknown to the both of them, they were thinking the same thing, they were very much alike, but each thought that the other had it worse.

"That's what parents are for Kino." Gaara replied to her and he watched her stiffen and then look up at him. The candle light reflected the tears that now brimmed her eyes.

"Gaara…" Makoto said swallowing hard.

"**Shit… This isn't good… Emotional breakdown.." **He heard Shukaku whisper in his head.

"… I lost my parents when I was seven years old in a plane crash… No bodies were ever found… I have no other relatives… I've lived alone since…" Makoto said as she bit her bottom lip, trying to keep calm.

He was shocked! Of course he didn't look it but, this girl looked so well… Well brought up!

Makoto looked up at him and gave him a half hearted smile.

"It's not so bad… Now that I have the girls… Before that, I can't say the same thing…" Makoto replied.

_A thousand other boys could never reach you,_

_How could I have been the one,_

_I saw the world spin beneath you,_

_And scatter like ice from the spoon,_

_That was you womb._

Gaara thought about what the poor girl in front of him must have gone through.

Even though his own childhood was completely messed up, he was never physically alone, he did have family even if they didn't like him.

And then he thought what she truly meant about the men in her life that he was the same as them.

Would he leave her?... Or would she be the one to leave him?... She would have to go back. Obviously she loved her Hime more than anything in the world, but why couldn't it be him…

"Gaara…" She called softly.

"What I said about you being like the other men in my life…" It was almost like she was reading his mind, speaking of which, he was surprised that Shukaku had decided to stay quiet through this, well partially…

"You… Maybe you're not so bad…" She looked up with a small smile her eyes glittering mischievously.

"**You do realize that she confessed that she likes you?... You need to take advantage of that opportunity, kid."** Nope he was there, Shukaku had just been thinking of something to tell him.

"You don't know that…" He murmered quietly, he almost hoped that she had heard, just so he could tell her when it was too late that she couldn't say he never warned her.

But, maybe he was a little bit lucky to have this girl… She did keep him busy, and intrigued.

_Coming' down the world turned over_

_And angels fall without you there_

_And I go on as you get colder_

_Or are you someone's prayer? _

_You know the lies they always told,_

_And the love you never knew._

_What's the things they never showed you?_

_That swallowed the light from the sun, _

_Inside your room._

"Please don't pity me because of that. I'm not the only one with a difficult past…" She said looking at him referring to something that he really didn't want to be reminded of.

He didn't reply…

Makoto listened to the lyrics of the songs, smirking at the similarity of her last comment.

Once Makoto stopped talking, they seemed to both be lost listening to the song playing softly.

_Coming' down the world turned over_

_And angels fall without you there_

_And I go on as you get colder_

_And there's no time left for losin'_

_When you stand they fall_

_Coming' down the world turned over_

_And angels fall without you there_

_And I go on as you get colder_

_All because I'm_

_Coming' down the world turned over_

_And angels fall without you there_

_And I go on as you get colder_

_All because I'm_

_All because I'm_

_And I'll become,_

_What you became to me._

As the last lyrics were heard Makoto looked up at him through the candle light giving her a heavenly glow.

He looked up to meet her gaze and she quickly looked away blushing at being caught.

"**She is truly irresistible… You won't be able to hold out much longer Gaara…"** He heard Shukaku purr in his mind, as his eyes widened. He had forgotten about the damn demons mating problems…

Makoto looked down and took a sip of her tea.

He watched her nose cringe; obviously she had forgotten to add the sugar.

She reached over to a small holder and grabbed two small packets, shook them down and ripped the tops off of both adding them at the same time. She slowly churned the liquid with her straw and once she had seen that the sugar had designated she felt it was alright to taste.

Gaara was never so aroused before by watching someone drink. He loved every little quirk she had, the way her eyes flared when she was pissed, the soft petal looking texture of her lips, and her smile that only he was given.

He felt the need to take a sip of his own drink.

"**See, you're so easily attracted to her and you've got a few weeks to go before it gets really interesting."** Shukaku laughed at the boy.

Maybe being around her wasn't the best thing… At least until this was over…

He didn't want to think what might happen if things got out of hand with him and the demon. If he gave into the Tanuki's wishes… He was pretty positive she might give into him as well, and he wasn't sure if he wanted her to or not, and that's what bothered him the most…

"**You couldn't go without her even if you wanted to, kid… The feeling is mutual between all of us."** The last sentence is what set him off.

"_You're never going touch her again you piece of shit. My job is to protect those in Suna and that's what I intend to do."_ Gaara growled fiercely.

"Gaara! What's wrong!?" Makoto shouted and grabbed his hand softly.

He averted his gaze to see her worried look and looked down to their joined hands. The glass of sake in his hand was beginning to crack.

He loosened his grasp and felt her thumb stroke the top of his hand. Her hands were so soft against his skin while Makoto was thinking the same thing about him.

He looked up to her but this time she smiled at him and didn't look away even when the blush was oh so evident.

"I'm glad to see you two are getting along now. I was getting worried that you'd made a horrible mistake Kazekage-Sama." The waitress laughed as she arrived with their food. Makoto flew off of him so fast that she almost knocked her chair over.

She chewed her bottom lip out of embarrassment. Gaara now found that it was a habit that he had become accustomed to watching.

"Arigato." Makoto said kindly as the waitress walked away winked at the green eyed brunette.

Makoto then snapped back around to face Gaara.

She then quickly looked down at her dinner and looked at it like it was a monster.

"Uh-… A-Ano.." Makoto said quietly as Gaara looked up from his meal.

"What is it now?" He asked then looked at her face.

"Wh-What is this?" She asked poking it with her fork in disgust.

"Squid, it's a delicacy here, now eat it." Makoto looked up at him like he was a nut case!

Her mouth moved but nothing came out. She then pursed her lips together and snapped her head up.

"If it's such a delicacy, then trade me. Yours looks good." Makoto said pointedly looking at his plate full of cooked rice, some sort of chicken, a delicious smelling sauce and noodles.

"I don't like squid, Kino." He stated setting his fork down.

"I don't either!" Makoto backfired.

"Then why did you order it?" He growled.

"Because I was too preoccupied with being pissed at you then to think about my food!" Makoto huffed and turned away with a small pink tint on her face.

As she was looking away the sound of plates clanking caught her attention as she looked back to find her food in front of Gaara and his in front of her.

Obviously he wasn't eating her food, so he sat there and stared at her.

"Eat it Kino." He said to her firmly.

She looked down at the plate and sat her fork down.

"No." She said simply.

That was it, Gaara was blowing a gasket.

"What the Hell is your problem!? Can't you-" He then felt a small warm finger pressed against his lips. She was **so** soft…

"We'll share it…" She whispered setting the plate next to him and she pulled her chair to sit next to him instead of across.

He looked at her like she was crazy as she picked up her fork to eat but felt his gaze and looked up.

"What?... Is something wrong?" She asked softly.

Hell yeah there was something wrong! Gaara had never shared anything in his life, let alone his _food._

"No…" He answered leaving her with a pregnant pause and then he picked up his fork and began eating some of the chicken while she went for the noodles.

It was definatly odd… For the both of them…

It was strange how they had made somewhat of an unspoken system. Makoto would slide what she didn't want over to his side of the plate and if he didn't want it either he would sit it on her plate with the unwanted squid, this worked vise-versa with Gaara.

Makoto hated this!

"_I should have just ate the damn squid!... It would have been more eventful than this at least… What would Mina-Chan do?... That's it!" _She thought while unknown to her Gaara had been watching out of the corner of his eye.

He noticed that she had paused and stopped eating. At first he thought that she was done until he watched her emotions…

"_She's planning something…"_ Gaara thought to himself.

"**I know! I wonder what she's got in mind!"** Gaara rolled his eyes as he heard the Tanuki answer something he would have cared for him not to hear.

The feeling of her removing herself from his side caught his attention. His head snapped over to her as she looked down at him as she stood.

"Bathroom." Was all she said as she got up and left, with her purse in hand.

"**Women… Always worrying about their looks, some need to. But that one, is fine the way it is!" **He heard Shukaku purr delightfully, making Gaara avert his gaze back to the food that he was sharing.

-:- In the bathroom -:-

"Mina-Chan?" Makoto asked as she looked into the communicator to see the surprised look of a bubbly blonde.

"M-Mako? Is that really you! God you look great! What're you doing!? Oh! Let me guess you're on a fancy little Valentine's Day date with your future hubby!? Oh! And look, look! See who I got!" Mina shouted and turned her communicator to a handsome boy who, Makoto was guessing, was giving Mina a death glare as they seemed to look like they were sitting on a roof top.

"That's Shika-Kun! Isn't he kawaii!!?" Mina shouted with a blush as Mako sweat dropped, the poor girl definatly had undiagnosed ADD…

"Mina-Chan…" Makoto called softly, just incase someone was in the bathroom with her.

She wasn't listening… She was looking at the so called 'Shika-Kun'

"AINO MINAKO!!" Makoto shouted and Mina looked at her with glazed eyes.

"Hum?" She asked softly.

"I have a Code: Pink…" She spoke and watched Mina light up like a Christmas tree.

"CODE: PINK!!!?? Why the Hell didn't you say so Mako-Chan!!?" Mina screamed.

"What's the situation?" She spoke to the brunette with a serious tone as Mako shook her head negatively.

"Damn, just what I thought, now this is what you do…" And that's when the plotting began.

-:- a few minutes later -:-

"A-Are you sure this is going to work Mina-Chan?... I'm not sure if-"

"It's going to work! I've used it _thousands_ of times! It's just a warm up for what I have planned next! Now get your hot ass out there and show him what girls from Tokyo know!" Mina shouted enthusiastically and she swore she could hear the boy in the background mutter something pessimistic about the problem.

"Hai, Mina-Chan…" Mako muttered as she put her handle on the door.

"Good luck! And nail this baby for me!" Mina shouted as Mako blushed watching the screen turn to static… She knew Mina would pass this on to everyone of the Senshi before ten that night…

She took a deep breath and walked out the door. She hated feeling like this… No guy had EVER made her feel so insecure in her life about herself! She was always able to carry on some kind of a conversation with the guy she liked! No matter HOW hot he was!...

But Gaara was different… For one she was going to marry him and two… He just did something to make her heart burst inside her with joy every time he looked at her…

She walked back at the table to find him sitting there waiting for her to return. She smiled at him and sat back down, almost tempted to ask 'Did you miss me?' But held her tongue…

She picked up her fork as well as he and began eating once again. And they were back to silence… Again. She was done with it!

She looked outside and sighed.

"It's a beautiful night tonight… Even kinda warm. It's nice compared to Tokyo's weather… When we left it was winter, so this is almost like an early summer vacation for me." Makoto said as she looked over at him giving him a cheeky grin.

He looked at her with eyes that were unamused. She sighed regrettably and looked back at her food.

She then looked back up at him and watched him stare out the window, giving her a good view of his profile.

His face was so calm and he didn't look as stern as he was a little bit ago… It was nice seeing him relaxed, he looked more inviting.

She would love nothing more than to stare in awe of his splendor and beauty, but she wanted more than to look… She wanted to be loved, but she wasn't sure yet if that's what he wanted from her as well… In her eyes he was so beautiful, almost like a porcelain doll with his creamy white skin and vibrant green eyes, even the soft curve of his nose attracted her… Ironic how she found everything about his features to be soft, but he was nothing more than the polar opposite of so…

All the sudden she wasn't so hungry when she heard another song come on the radio…

"_This…Is it… All or nothing, do or die, now or never Mako-Chan!"_ Makoto said to herself and watched Gaara stare at her but she didn't look away, but she did blush.

"_If I don't do this, Mina-Chan will kill me…"_ Makoto thought as she gulped.

"Gaara?" She asked softly her blush deepening as he looked at her.

"…."

"Um… Do you… Do you want to dance?" She asked her heart sped quickly leaving adrenaline pumping through her body at a maximum speed… She knew if he said no then everything would be ruined…

She watched him stare at her for a few minutes and then ever so gently he took her hand and stood up. She blushed, thanking Kami that they were left in the secluded part of the restaurant where no one could see them in each others arms.

But poor Gaara did a ' no, no' and acted on a whim… HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DANCE!!!

They walked over to a clearer part of the room and stopped but Gaara just stood there.

Makoto then got his embarrassing silent hint.

She looked up and smiled at him, he was going to let her direct him on this.

She took his hands and put them around her waist and then wrapped hers around his neck. But what Gaara didn't expect was the, her moving so close to him, part of the deal.

"_And I'd give up forever to touch you  
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be  
And I don't want to go home right now "_

Makoto began to sway back and forth and felt Gaara follow. Once she knew that he had got the hang of it she relaxed and laid her head on his chest.

Gaara had the biggest urge to shove her off of him because he **knew** she had to be able to hear his heart slamming into his chest like it was trying to jump out… But he didn't. He let her stay there as long as she wanted.

He could feel her warm arms around the base of his neck and every once in a while her fingers would brush against his hair giving him a pleasurable feeling.

"_And all I can taste is this moment  
And all I can breathe is your life  
'Cause sooner or later it's over  
I just don't want to miss you tonight "_

All Makoto could think was that she didn't want this to end… Not now and not ever…

If only Setsuna was here and could stop time and let the two of them stay like this forever, then she would be eternally content…

She nuzzled closer to his chest and smiled upon feeling him grow tense and then relax as she enjoyed listening to his pounding heart. She loved how warm he was, and she wanted so badly to touch his hair, just to see if it was as soft as it looked.

Maybe is she tried it nonchalantly, he wouldn't ever notice…

She smiled breathing in the alluring smell of his cologne that she had given him. That right there would have turned her on but he would just keep surprising her as the night went on.

"_And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am"_

Gaara wrapped his arms around her tighter, bringing them even closer than they already were. Now it was Makoto's turn to stiffen at the gesture. Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears that she thought they might burst. She felt goose bumps travel from her head to her legs hoping that he didn't see.

But she then relaxed and let his arms hold her, she would keep this forever and never let it end.

"_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
Or the moment of truth in your lies  
When everything feels like the movies  
And you bleed just to know you're alive."_

Gaara breathed in her scent, she smelt like a forest, something that he never really appreciated until now. She smelled like wet flowers after a soft spring rain. At that moment he found nothing more satisfying.

And then he completely relaxed, he let their bodies carry them wherever they wished. He closed his eyes and rested his head on top of hers. Her soft hair tickled his face as he felt her gently brush one of her fingers against his neck.

"_And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am "_

He had never given into anyone like this before… Ever… She had some sort of power over him that he couldn't resist. He was Eve and she was the Devil, but he felt no consequences would ever come because of something so wonderful and warm as this female was in his arms… He was taking the forbidden fruit.

She was his, and no one else's. No one would ever know, or ever see them like this…

"_And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am "_

_(Repeat chorus)_

"_I just want you to know who I am  
I just want you to know who I am  
I just want you to know who I am"_

And as the lyrics said each lover thought the same thing in each others arms. But they both knew one day they would understand one another like they had done just now, and they would learn… No matter what others thought…

Makoto felt her heart drop out of her chest as the song ended… She would probably never get him like this again… Never as vulnerable as he was now, and she felt anguish because of so, she would miss it…

He felt her arms slowly unwrap themselves from his neck and if they weren't in public, he would have stopped her.

Nor did he want this to end either but, she would never know, because he couldn't allow himself to look defenseless to anyone anymore here… He couldn't act like a love-sick puppy in front of his people… He had to be like a stone wall.

Her face saddened as she looked up at him still blushing as she felt him remove his hands from her waist. She smiled sadly and backed up away from him.

"Let's go home." He spoke softly to her.

"Hai…" She said with a sweet smile. No matter if it ended or not, she should be happy… She **was** happy; he was here with her and no one else… That was ecstasy for her and little did she know it, for him as well.

Gaara paid the bill as Makoto watched him with soft eyes and sighed happily.

She was definatly thanking Mina for the idea and confidence boost when she got home.

Her thoughts were broke by him walking by her and then she heard him stop and wait for her to follow him out. She smiled and turned around and walked by his side out the door.

They stepped outside and she was so wrong about the temperature outside earlier… It had gotten colder since they had arrived! Her teeth chattered as they walked out the door and into the bitter night air.

Suddenly she felt a warm piece of fabric shoved into her arms. She looked down and saw Gaara's Kazekage robes in her grasp.

Her eyes widened and she looked up at him her mouth open.

"Gaara… Am I even allowed to wear this?" She asked but he didn't say anything. He just looked at her then continued walking.

She knew what he would say, "I gave it to you didn't I, Kino?" Why did she even bother asking, she should just enjoy his kind gesture.

She flipped the robe around the back of her body and over her shoulders and smiled at the warmth.

Suddenly a voice behind them stopped the duo.

"Kazekage-Sama! Is this her!?" They heard a girly voice shout that he vaguely remembered.

They turned around to see the bubbly blonde that Gaara had purchased the Chocolate Body Paint from.

He felt Makoto stiffen at his side and then relax.

"**She's jealous, nice…"** He heard the raccoon demon reveal himself after a long while.

The girl had a man attached to her arm that made Gaara smolder at the feeling he was emitting.

He had shoulder length blonde hair that was up in a half ponytail while his bang covered one eye.

The bubbly girl ran up to Makoto who was holding back a sneer at the girls' beauty and acting of familiarity to her fiancée.

"You must be his fiancé! The rumors are true! You're very beautiful! And tall and well, you **know**!" The girl laughed with accusing eyes as Makoto looked away blushing at her pointing out something that made her feel as if every man in the vicinity was now looking at.

"Hehe… Um… Gaara? Who is she?" She asked looking at him her eyes burning with a killing intent on what came out of his mouth next depending on what it was.

Gaara looked at her snarling expression calmly and opened his mouth to reply.

"Oh! Jezz! Excuse my manners! I helped Kazekage-Sama pick out your gift!" She shouted gleefully.

"**Oh shit…"** Gaara heard Shukaku mimic his thought.

"Gift?" Makoto asked quietly and looked up at Gaara slowly.

Again before Gaara could say anything Makoto felt her hand being picked up by a warm hand.

She looked up to see the blonde haired handsome man holding her hand.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Yatsumaro Ren. It's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman, yeah." He spoke softly as Makoto blushed watching his tantalizing lips as they kissed her hand.

Her eye then was caught by the glimmering of his ring.

"_Azure Dragon?..."_ She thought to herself as he took his hand away.

Mako then looked into his eyes that were staring at her lustfully. She blushed and began laughing nervously as she put her hand behind her head and blushed.

She looked up at Gaara and stopped laughing at seeing look on his face. She bit her lip and looked back at the other couple staring at her.

"Kino Makoto…" She whispered to them now worried that Gaara might kill the guy by the way he was looking at him.

"Gaara… I…. I think we should **leave**." Makoto hissed to him letting him know if he started a fight she'd be pissed beyond belief.

Without one last glare at the man, Gaara walked passed them with nothing less than silence.

"Well, see you two around." Makoto laughed nervously as she sprinted after Gaara and you could hear her screaming at him already about his rude behavior.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be seeing **plenty **of one another soon enough Mako-Chan, yeah." The man spoke aloud as he watched the lightning Senshi berating the Kazekage for his manners.

He and the girl walked behind the restaurant that was secluded and the girl's body dropped like a puppet that had just had its strings out off.

"Wonderful performance Sasori-Sama, yeah… She's is the one indeed." The blonde smirked still able to see the female of his liking. Suddenly a man dressed in a black cloak with red clouds jumped down from the top of the building.

He astonishingly resembled Gaara, with crimson hair and a sour expression.

"To think the Kage of the village I once resided in let his guard down because of one insignificant female." Sasori spoke looking at the two.

"That is where you are wrong Sasori… She is everything but insignificant…" Diedara spoke maliciously.

-:-

Makoto walked next to Gaara her arms crossed after loosing yet another fight against the silent man. She seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he ignored her continuous ranting.

"_I have felt that chakra before…"_ Gaara thought as he looked down at Makoto who was now pouting

He would give her the present later tonight when he knew that they were alone.

They then walked up the stairs to his house as Makoto reached for the door and opened it to find Hotaru asleep next to Kankuro, who obviously had been playing with the little girl.

Gaara watched in interest as Makoto's expression softened as she looked at the small black haired girl. She smiled sweetly and walked over to her to see that Kankuro was smiling in his sleep. She was guessing that he let Haruka and Michiru have his room.

"He must be having a good dream…" Makoto whispered laughing to herself as she looked at his black eye.

"_I wonder what he did to make Ruka so mad…"_ Makoto thought to herself.

She had to admit, he was pretty cute if he didn't have all that make-up on like now. She would have to tell him that.

She then looked down at Hotaru and picked up her sleeping form trying not to awaken her from her deep slumber. She looked down and smiled at her relaxed face as she cuddled closer to Makoto's warmth.

She then walked back to her room to place Hotaru in her bed, but there was only one problem. She needed to move the covers down without waking her up, which was a bit of a problem since she needed both of her hands to support the seven year old.

"Give her here." She heard a voice command behind her softly. She turned around not believing it was who she thought it was. As soon as she saw their face, she was correct, it was indeed the hard-ass Gaara offering to help Makoto tuck a little girl into bed.

Makoto smiled sweetly and silently handed the little girl to him sitting her in his strong arms.

Makoto looked away blushing about what she was thinking and began pulling the comforter and sheets down.

Gaara stiffened as he felt the little girl rest her head on his chest and grip his shirt as she smiled feeling his warmth.

He looked down at her then back at Makoto who was fixing the bed and now realized why she was blushing.

"_Oh."_ He thought calmly.

"**Gezz! Took you long enough!"** He heard Shukaku laugh tauntingly in his mind.

Makoto then looked up at him.

"You can put her down now." She whispered as she walked back over to him as Gaara obeyed as gently laid her down on his bed.

Makoto smiled and gently covered her up and tucked her in, careful not to jostle her awake.

This is what Mina would call a Kodak moment… All Makoto could think was thank Kami that she wasn't here!

But… It really was…

Two people who were to fall in love, looking down after they had tucked the little girl into bed after a long day… Oh for God's sake! Someone take a picture!!

Makoto looked up at Gaara who was standing next to her looking at the sleeping Senshi of Rebirth in great thought.

"Umm… Well… Thank you, Gaara… For such an interesting night." Makoto said knowing that she sounded like an idiot and looked away blushing.

"Here." He said as he held out his hand with a small parcel wrapped in pink glittering paper and panda plushie holding it in its arms.

Shukaku persuaded him to buy the fake stuffed panda filled with nothing more than cotton. Gaara wasn't sure why women were drawn to the miniature replica of various animals, but if that's what she would like, then why not?... It's not like he knew what he was doing anyway!

Makoto's eyes widened and she blushed even more as her eyes then lowered softening as she took the fluffy animal holding the box and her fingers grabbed the small box.

She smiled looking at the gifts. Never in her life had she expected that he would have got her something and at the least a stuffed panda bear!

She looked up at him to see his wondering eyes watching her, and she looked back down at the box.

"_O-Oh God!!... WHAT IF IT'S AN ENGAGEMENT RING!??"_ Makoto thought as she gulped and opened the box and her smile went flat, like a balloon being popped by an unsuspecting pin.

"Kankuro said that you would like that, so I just listened… I don't know anything about you but he said all onnas like it, and that we would use it… Although I still don't comprehend why I would use it if it's your gift." Gaara stated in his monotone voice and looked at her to see her face turned down as she glowered.

Makoto normally would have killed him for that comment, but she was WAY too preoccupied with the man's older brother, who was sleeping innocently and vulnerably on the couch.

"K-Kankuro, you say?" She growled and then snapped out of it and when she looked up at him she was smiling brightly.

"Thank you Gaara… Thank you so much." She said her smile sincere and before he could say anything, she hugged him tightly. His eyes widened as he felt her arms wrap around him for the second time that night.

She couldn't help it! She was pissed, yes… But at his shit-head of an older brother! Gaara cared enough to buy her something, Makoto, for Valentine's Day! He was Gaara! The man who should hate the world, but he cared enough to do something and go out of his way for her… And for that, she loved him for it!... Well maybe not _loved_… Or just yet at least… _And_ she found it **horribly** adorable that the Kazekage of Suna didn't know what Chocolate Body Paint was for! She was telling the girls this for sure!

Gaara could tell by Shukaku's silence that he was stunned that she was hugging him, but the demon was too shocked to say anything.

Gaara's numerous confused thoughts were cut off by her pulling away and smiling up at him.

"Well… I'm gonna get ready for bed." She said to him and turned away expecting to hear him turn away as well and his footfalls retreating…

"_Why am I not hearing the footfalls?!"_ She thought annoyed and turned around to see him staring at her like she hadn't said anything.

"Um… Hello!" Makoto shouted ripping her hair tie out and lifting up her P.J.'s

If he didn't understand this sign language then… He had something seriously wrong with him!

"Hn." Gaara growled as he turned around.

"What do you think married couples do Kino? Rush to the closet when one has to change?"

Makoto snapped around with a crocked smile at the hypocritical Kazekage.

"Obviously you don't, Kazekage-**Sama**! Good luck with the Chocolate Body Paint part of the deal!" She shouted laughingly and watched as Gaara stopped.

"_What is she talking about demon? What is the __**true**__ purpose of the gift?"_ Gaara seethed in his thoughts now realizing that there was **definatly** something more to the chocolate than eating it in an item of food.

Makoto smiled seeing him in his state of vulnerability, and pulled something out of her ass that maybe she shouldn't have. She walked over to him with a malicious grin on her face.

"_If he thinks that he's so tough then let's see this reaction…"_ Makoto said to herself as she was now standing right in front of him.

She pushed him up against the wall right next to the open door and then grabbed him by his collar and pulled him dangerously close to her lips. She looked up to see him unmoving.

"_Cornered like a kid with his hands stuck in the cookie jar!" _Makoto thought smiling up at him as she moved even closer.

Then quickly pulled him to her lips and he braced himself for the feeling of her soft petal lips on his but… She… Missed?

Her lips were right next to his ear.

"Good night, Gaara-Kun and happy Valentine's Day." Makoto whispered seductively as her hot breath swept across his face.

Ohh, she _was_ bad!

She then pulled away grinning at the look on his face and then it quickly reverted to it's natural state- unmoving.

She turned around and walked back over to the bed as he debated whether he was pissed at her for her adolescent games, or if he wanted to be the winner.

"Oh and Gaara, I forgot. You shouldn't be worried about that guy from earlier-."

He wasn't listening to this he thought as he began walking out.

"- You should be worried about Haruka…" Makoto said as he faltered for a moment then walked out, sensing the smile in her voice.

"**Oh… My… Damn… She is **_**good**_**!"** Shukaku shouted joyfully in his mind as he walked out and watched her grab the clothing on her bed just before the door shut.

"**Wh-why are you leaving!? Can't you see, Little Rose wants to play!... Baka!!"** Shukaku shouted.

"_She may have started this match, but I'll be the one to finish it, don't you forget it Kino Makoto."_ Gaara growled in his thoughts.

"**Now that's my boy! You go get 'em tiger!"** Shukaku whooped.

-:-

"Baby's got back! I still got it!" Makoto shouted as quietly as possible as she danced around the room like an idiot.

"Mako-Chan? Whatcha doin'?" Hotaru asked as she rubbed her eyes and laughed at Makoto's stupidity.

"Oh! Geez Taru! I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you!" Makoto said as she walked over and sat next to the small girl.

"That's okay! Now we can talk and do girl stuff!" Hotaru shouted as she jumped up and looked at Makoto as she smiled.

"You wanna do something fun? Huh? Hey lets color!" She shouted and jumped down off the bed and grabbed her markers and a coloring book.

And that's when the light bulb came on.

Kankuro.

Markers.

Kankuro.

Permanent markers.

Kankuro.

Asleep

And…. Unsuspecting.

Brand new **permanent** markers…

"Hey Taru-Chan, you wanna do something that girls like to do?" Makoto asked as she watched the girl nod her head quickly.

"Oh yes, Mako! More than anything!" Taru smiled as she jumped back on the bed and sat on her lap.

"Weeeelllll, first we need your markers…" And after that, trouble ensued on the unguarded Kanky sleeping as unknown to the two baby graffiti vandalizers that green sleepless eyes watched in the amusement as darkness hid him from the two.

The markers were off!

-:-

That whole night he watched over the two Senshi asleep in his room making sure that if there were any disturbances, he would be there to prevent them.

He knew that he should keep an eye on her just in case. He knew that the feeling he was getting from the guy earlier from that night was directed towards her and he might be working for Orochimaru. And if what the woman on Makoto's communicator said was what needed to be done as his duty as Kazekage of Suna, he wouldn't refuse.

He thought back to the happenings of earlier that day.

-:-

Makoto had walked of her room and handed Gaara her communicator.

"It's Setsuna, the Senshi of Time; she wants to talk to you." She said as she walked off obviously pissed, unknown to him why.

"Kazekage-Sama…" A firm voice called from the small device catching his attention.

"Mako-Chan is out of the room right?" She asked unsure. Obviously he now knew why she was mad; she wanted to know what this 'Setsuna' was going to tell him.

"Hai." He replied just as firm as her voice.

"Good. Kazekage-Sama… There's something wrong, you won't fully understand what I'm going to tell you but you will get the jest of it. I have checked into the future and things have changed drastically… As in, someone important is dead that shouldn't be… I have told all the other protectors the same thing and they all have agreed. I may be asking a lot of you, but if you wish to stick to your own duty, you must help us… Are you willing?" She asked looking at him with pleading eyes.

His emotion was unmoving as he nodded his head. He would do anything for his people.

"Good… You must protect Makoto with your life, which you already know… But this time, I'm being serious. If she was to be taken captive, or killed, everything would fall downhill. The life of the Sailor Senshi won't only affect our Earth but yours as well. You must also train her and get her ready for anything. Teach her your fighting style, anything to improve her chances of making it out alive in this world. That is what I ask of you Kazekage-Sama." Setsuna spoke her tongue sharp.

"Mission, accepted." He spoke and watched her breathe easily.

"Arigato, ja ne." She said as the line went blank.

He didn't even think about answering because he would protect her, she was now a part of Suna at the least and… His future wife… That is if she stayed long enough. But maybe, just maybe… If he could keep her safe and alive she would stay a little longer…

-:-

"Makoto! This is so good! I didn't know you could cook!" Temari shouted as she gobbled down her breakfast, as she sat next to Hotaru.

"Yeah! Mako-Chan is the best cook ever!" Hotaru shouted as she looked over at Gaara with a big smile.

"Right Gaara-Kun?! I mean, who doesn't like Mako-Chan and her cooking!?" She smiled at the Kazekage as he sat silently eating and stopped to look up at the small toddler and over to Makoto who was turned around shaking her head, a blush most likely gracing her features as she flipped the pancakes.

"Hotaru will fit in just fine when she's grown up." Mako whispered to herself and turned around bringing more food over to them.

"No more hanging around with Minako-Chan anymore Hotaru! She's a bad influence on you." Makoto sighed as she sat next to Gaara and took off her apron sitting it on the back of her chair.

"Oh, Koto. She's not that bad for her! I mean, if it messes up your relationships then I'm fine with it-"

"Okay Ruka! Enough out of you, it's not even noon and your already jumping on me like a starving dog on a steak!" Makoto pouted with a blush as she slapped two pancakes on her plate.

"She's right, Haruka. Leave her be." Michiru chimed with her normal chipper voice as she grabbed Ruka's hand.

Gaara's eyes shifted in their direction.

"**Well, Little Rose wasn't lying then was she."** Shukaku said referring to last nights comment.

"God, what smells so good!" They heard a voice shout from the living room.

Gaara didn't let it go unnoticed that Hotaru and Makoto looked at one another with a few snickers waiting for their moment.

"In here Kankuro! Makoto made breakfast!" Temari shouted to him still eating her food.

He walked in and Haruka started laughing so hard she almost choked on her food

He only gave her a glare and walked over and sat down next to Makoto, whose eyes were now watering because she was trying not to burst out with laughter.

Hotaru seemed to be having the same problem, while all Temari could do was stare in shock at her brother.

"What!?" he screamed at each pair of eyes analyzing him.

"K-Kankuro… I think you should go to the bathroom and look at yourself…" Temari said and looked back down at her food.

He looked around at the agreeing stares as he glared and stood making his way to the bathroom.

It was so quiet as they waited to hear his reaction… That was until he saw his reflection.

"W-Wait for it…" Makoto managed to choke out in between her giggle fits.

"Ahhh!! KINO!!!" She heard a livid voice screech from the bathroom.

"Soooo, why is it again that you three got here so late?" Makoto asked leisurely with a smile, staying off the subject of Kankuro's colorful issue as Haruka looked over and smiled at the lightening Senshi getting ready to reveal the reason.

-:-

Please! Don't kill me! My finger just hurts really badly. And I was going to write more but, serious pain decided to rear its ugly head. New quote "Shika-Kun is my hero because he broke his finger on **purpose** and handled it better than what I am!" Lol! Now someone give me my meds, damn it! LOL! Well hope everyone liked it and I'll update WITS as soon as I can, but don't except super fast updates…. Not like I do it anyways but, you know! Lol! And forgive me for all the spelling mistakes! I got rid of all the ones I found and I know there are more but just ignore them, thankies! Please review kiddies! Chow!

-Katness ;p

!!!! Oh yeah, I almost forgot, both those songs belong to The Goo Goo Dolls! "Iris" and "Black Balloon"


	5. Aggravating Mister No Fun

Hello everyone!!! You should be surprised and happy because this came out a thousand times sooner than what I thought it was going to! Well, good news! I went the pinky doctor today and !!! I got my splint off!! Sweet victory!!! XD I'm free baby!! Free!!! Lol! ;p I want to thank all of you guys for sticking with me this long and putting up with my total randomness for all these months! And my reviewers, I love you guys to death and you're all always so nice to me! l-Annethunder, LilDevil0644, Tsuki No Koneko, Miofah-Chan, and of course my two dear friends JPandS, and BlueShadowStar… I just wanted to thank you all so much for your support! I have yet to get one flame!... Knock on wood!... (Jumps up and slams her fist on all the wood that she spots in the house) Well, I hope you like this chapter… Even though… I kinda… Don't, lol.

Oh yeah! And if you would like some awesome alternative music to listen to, download the album Flathead-EP from the Fratellis on iTunes!! They Rock my socks!!! My total playlist through this whole chapter! It definitely a, make me get up and jump around and act like an idiot, music!! Lol!! Oh! No more rambling, read on!

I dedicate this chapter to all the "Veronica Mars" hardcore fans like myself… May that wonderful Series R.I.P…. DAMN YOU PUSSY CAT DOLLS AND YOUR WHORISH WAYS!!!! :

Disclaimer- I own nothing!!

Desert Rose

Chapter Five- Aggravating Mister. No Fun

"So, you're telling me that Setsuna was so busy taking care of me and making sure that I didn't die and had a place to live that she completely forgot about her own Outer Senshi!?" Makoto asked skeptically from the other end of the table. Kankuro sat next to her, reminisce of markers and smears graced his livid face.

Some parts were raw from scrubbing and others were a strange brown mixture from where the colors had bled into one another and formed their own happy home on Kankys face. Once he had found out the marks were there he; before trying to kill the two culprits, dashed into the shower **then** afterwards tried to attack the two culprits. But he was stopped dead in his tracks by a single glare, one that he **dared** not to trifle with. He may have been his younger brother but the Kazekage was certainly becoming more protective over his proclaimed fiancée day by day.

The last thing that Kankuro had expected was that he would learn to care for the mischievous brunette, but it was too bad the red head had never shown this emotion to the female.

"Hai, Koto, but you don't need to make us sound so forgotten…" Haruka sweat dropped.

"But as soon as Suna-Chan had seen Kankuro-San she remembered us. We were also lost walking around the village of Konoha then suddenly we were in the Hokage's office looking at a stressed out Setsuna." Michiru smiled finishing for her lover.

"Poor, Suna… She's got so much on her mind; she's like our second leader and a trainer for Usa. Let's just hope Usa intends to listen to her once and a while." Makoto spoke her hand placed under her chin as the other Senshi agreed silently.

-:-

"But -huff- Lee-Kun!!!!! -huff- Sets was just - huff- kidding when she -huff- said you needed to train -huff- me!!!" The said blonde screamed as she was being forced to run with a fifty pound weight on each foot, and if she slowed down… Well lets just say she had faced the consequences already and wasn't about to be faced by them again!

"Ah Choo!!!!" She sneezed and fell to the ground face first, dirt flying into her mouth.

She lifted her face off the ground and look up at Lee who gave her a disappointed stare.

"Usagi-San, you-"

"Wahhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaa!!!" Usagi wailed an earsplitting cry of defeat.

"Leeeeee-Kuuuunnn!!! Why are you so mean!!? You should go hang out with Rei-Baka if you wanna act like- BAM- Hey!!!" Usagi cried and turned around to see the Miko flaring with anger.

"Meatball-baka!!! You're such a crybaby!! You're always pointing fingers at someone else to blame and never yourself!" She screamed and Usagi stood up her face red with anger.

"Well, at least I'm not a immature wannabe priestess who does nothing but scream at people for no apparent reason!! Oh! And might I add, who has no man in her life while, I have the man of my dreams, that used to be yours waiting for me for all eternity!"

"Like I need a man! That just proves how weak you are Odango Atama! I don't need a man to keep me happy, or to come and save me from every youma out there!! I can take care of myself you food loving glutton!!!" Rei screamed as Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked over to lean against a nearby tree.

He certainly didn't feel like dealing with those two.

"If, that's so Hino! Then why don't you go join Haruka and Michiru?" Usagi asked as Rei's eyes widened and she began blushing.

She took two steps forward and grabbed her Hime by the collar.

"You take that back **now **Tsukino." She hissed her eyes flaring with fire.

"Make me Hino, the feminist." Usagi smirked and then realized to true trouble she was in.

"Uh-oh…" She whispered and jumped out of her grasp and ran around like a chicken with its head cut off as Rei followed in a quick pursuit.

"I am going to fry you ass to a crisp!! I don't care if you're my Hime or not!!" Rei screamed as fire gathered in her hands.

"Mercy!!! Mercy Rei-Chan!! Remember the good times!! When I took your manga when you weren't-… Remember the good times!!!!" She screamed.

"Stop this you two! Is this how you want to represent us!? Have some decency! It's bad enough we already look abnormal, your constant bickering isn't helping!" A voice they knew all too well shouted and both froze and gulped.

If **she **was yelling at them, then it **was** bad!

"Ami-Chan! Way to go! I knew you were tough!" Mina shouted punching her lightly on the arm.

"This is no time to be horsing around! We have work to be done and Rei, you of all people should be training! You saw the vision, one that will be our demise if we don't start working harder. I bet right now, Mako-Chan and the outers are training as hard as they possibly can!" Ami scolded the two girls as they sighed and looked at the ground.

"Well… She started it." Usagi scoffed and looked the other way.

"Did not and you know it baka!!" Rei shouted back and shoved her.

"Guys… I'm pretty sure you're going to make Ami-Chan faint or something if you don't stop." Mina laughed and smacked the fuming girl on the back.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the blonde.

"_This is so troublesome… Why can't she train herself?"_ He thought uncaringly.

"Neji-Kun!! It is so good to see you!! Have you come to train as well! Let us see whose Senshi is strongest, yes?!" He shouted running up to his white eyed man teammate.

"We aren't animals you know!! It's not like we belong to you!... Baka…" Rei shouted and stood up away from Usagi.

"Hey you can't talk to Lee-Kun like that!! He's only being nice!" Usagi shouted in return.

This constant bickering was beginning to tick Sasuke off, just a little bit.

"Why don't you two just-"

"Usako."

"AHHH!!! MAMO-CHAN!!!!!" She squealed hearts popping out of her eyes and she jumped on top of Sasuke and into Mamoru's arms.

"God!! I thought I told you to tell him to NOT bring Mamoru!! Because THIS would happen!!!" Rei screamed and knocked Sasuke over the head as he fumed.

Just as he was about to knock the shat out of the fire Senshi his anger was distracted, almost like an angry bull about to charge, then some idiot pulls out a red cape and screams "You stupid bull, why don't you come and get me!!?"

"HAHAHAHA!!! Sasuke-Teme!! Put down by a girl!!! HAHAHAHA!!!" The poor idiotic blonde poked laughingly.

"Na-ru-to" Sasuke seethed.

"What's wrong with women, Baka!?" Rei screamed shoving Sasuke out of the way.

"Well, for one: they're weaker and two: they're violent." Naruto replied laughing, then he sensed it.

"Danger…" He spoke softly and looked to see Rei and Sasuke, fire burning behind them.

"Prepare to die you Baka!!!" They shouted in unison.

"Oh, my…. Rei-Chan can be very violent can't she?" Ami whispered as she watched Sasuke and Rei beat the poor Kyuubi container to a pulp.

"Sooo… Ami-Chan, what's the low down on your long haired white eyed hotty over there?" Mina asked elbowing the girl as she gulped and blushed.

"Ohhh! So you **do** like him!! Oh, it's just so kawaii!! Ami, you're finally going to have a long term relationship!!!" Mina shouted happily as Ami blushed a deeper red and her heart pounded in her chest.

"M-Mina… Please? Be a bit more quiet… He will hear you and get th-the wrong idea.." The aqua Senshi spoke softly.

"Oh, but Ami-Chan, you know you like him, so why don't you get your feelings out in the open!? That's what I did with Shika-kun and we go together like to two coconuts in a tree!" Mina shouted as she laughed a maniacal laugh.

"You mean two peas in a pod Mina… Two peas in a pod." Ami corrected putting her head in her hand out of pure embarrassment.

"HAHAHA!! I guess you're right Ami! You know a genius when you see one!" Mina laughed as Ami sighed at her friends' stupidity.

Neji and Lee looked at Shikamaru with a questioning stare.

"She is such a pain in my ass…" He mumbled and sat down at the base of a tree and looked at the clouds.

"Here let me go break the ice for you." Mina smiled and popped over to Neji's side.

"Mina! No!" Ami shouted, but sadly, it was too late.

"So, Neji isn't it? How are you getting along with Ami-Chan?" She asked looking up at him a confident smile on her face.

"Fine." He spoke with no emotion in his voice.

"Good, good…. You know, since she's here that means you're not the only genius in Konoha anymore. You have to share the title with her." Mina smiled as she began thinking of her plan and how she was going to lead him right into a trap.

"Really, now…" He spoke dully, still not looking at her.

"So do you feel anything special about her?... Anything at all?" Mina asked sporadically.

He tensed next to her. She smiled. She had him right where she wanted him.

"So, you do like her? She likes you. Do you love her? Like how much? Are you going to ask her to marry you? You really should, then you two could have cute little super genius babies together and they would be like the next Pistachio or something. And then you guys could-" Mina smiled and Ami blushed even more and jumped over.

Ami's hand flew over Mina's mouth.

"I am so sorry Neji-Sama! Minako just gets a little crazy sometimes! And she blabs things that don't make any sense… And! Oh! And they're all lies! Lies!! She- She's a compulsive liar and Minako you mean Picasso and he was an artist!... Come on we have to train! HAHAHAHA!" Ami laughed as Mina had only a minute ago then ran off gripping Mina's wrist as she pulled her along.

"Aino Minako!! I have been so embarrassed and disappointed in you my whole life!..." Ami trailed on.

The two boys were left stunned.

Neji was the first to gain his composure.

"So… Neji-Kun… You have taken a liking to Miss. Ami-San ne?" Lee asked with a sly smile.

Neji walked off.

"I never want to hear you speak of this to anyone, understand? You will regret it if you do." He spoke and continued walking.

-:-

"Agh!" She spit out the last of her breath as her body was slammed into the stinging sand. She tried with all her might to catch her breath, but it had been clean knocked out of her.

"Wrong." He spoke no emotion in his voice whatsoever.

Her fingers gripped the sand under them fiercely.

This was beginning to piss her off!! No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't lay a finger on his body!! Even when he told her how, she couldn't do it! Either the sand would block it, or he would knock her down. But no matter each time all he said was 'wrong'.

She stood up, her emerald eyes sparking with electricity.

Balls of electric flowed to her hands, as she began to charge at him at an alarming speed.

It was almost too fast for him to see… Almost was the key word. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and his eyes widened ever so slightly as he turned around and dodged her attack. A smirk graced his face as he counterattacked and sent her flying at the ground once again.

"**Come on, kid!! Give her a break!! You two have been at this for hours and you still won't let her even nick you!!!... Are you're testosterone levels higher than normal?"** The Tanuki asked as he rolled his eyes and didn't reply but watched the girl, who this time wasn't moving.

"**Damn it! Did you knock her out **again**!?"** Shukaku asked in his mind as the Kazekage walked over, measuring his distance carefully, making sure she wasn't just faking it so she could hit him. He watched the very calm and slow rhythm of her chest rising and falling.

… Nope, he had indeed knocked her out again.

"What a weakling…" He sighed and walked over to her and put one arm to support her upper body and another under the back of her knees.

"**Maybe you should call it a night kid… It's getting late anyway… And she looks well worn out." **Shukaku spoke in his mind as Gaara took a quick glance down at her face.

Sweat was dripping from her brow and there were small cuts and bruises on her body.

Maybe they should call it a night… She would need her rest sooner or later.

He closed his eyes and when he opened them he was inside their house and in the living room. He laid her down softly on the couch and turned to walk back to his and or her room to change.

He would go and get her and put her back in the room once he was finished… Too bad he wasn't expecting her to be so quick to awaken...

Her eyes opened and looked around wearily at her whereabouts. She then realized where exactly she had been placed. She sighed and sat up on the couch.

"_I can't believe I didn't even lay a finger on him! I mean… The smallest touch would_ _have made me feel accomplished… But… Nothing…" _She thought then stood up and made her way back to her bedroom to tuck in for a goodnight's sleep after her long and tiring day.

She opened the door to her room and looked up then it seemed like everything thing had been frozen by Setsuna, and at this time she wished it were, so she could turn back time and prevent this from happening.

She soon came to consciousness that they weren't frozen in time because she could feel her cheeks turning brighter and brighter the longer they held one another's gaze.

At this moment she was happy that, Temari had been sent on a lengthy mission and wouldn't be back for a while and that the house was too small to host to the other Senshi as well as Kankuro so they had to rent an apartment… Which meant that they were completely alone.

She opened her mouth to say something but nothing was coming out. She couldn't take anymore!!! She had to let her eyes wander!! She just couldn't stop herself and hold back anymore!! It was like throwing a stake in front of a starving man and telling him, if you move you'll die!!

It must have been something to see if she picked dieing over life!!...

It **was** worth it.

The still and tense look of his muscles, his well built abs were tight and well earned through his oh so **obvious **hardcore training. His pale skin, the way his red hair looked against it… If she would have come in a second later, she knew she would have seen him with NOTHING on, instead of only a pair of boxers.

It took everything she had to rip her gaze away, and now she wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes.

She gulped, and it made matters worse that no one was saying anything… He wasn't even screaming at her to get out… Nothing. Nothing but silence.

She figured she should try and say something to make sure he knew that this wasn't intended, since she was pretty much drooling all over him.

"…..I-…..I…..Ididn'tmeantocomeinherewhileyouwerechanging!! ItwasanaccidentIswear! IwasjustsotiredandifIwouldhaveknownyouwereinhereIwouldn'thavebargedinlikethat! ButyouwereinmyroomchangingsoIguessthisisn'treallyALLmyfaultIjust-………" She stopped at the feeling of someone behind her.

Her breathing was higher and more rapid… She was praying to God that this was Gaara Gaara and not Shukaku Gaara…

"_Well, actually this would be better if it was Shukaku Gaara because if this is Gaara Gaara then that would just be weird and I'd be in a more uncomfortable position… Wait… What?"_ She thought then felt two arms wrap around her waist as she epped and her face looked like a tomato was smashed all over it.

She shivered and tensed as she felt his lips move next to her ear.

"So, Little Rose likes what she sees eh?" He asked as she felt his hot breath against her neck.

….It was the demon… There was no mistaking it….

"Shukaku… Let him go… I want nothing to do with you." Makoto spoke as strongly as she possibly could trying to keep her voice steady and absent of panic.

"Oh, but my dear Mako-Chan… If you want the kid, you have to take the whole package. You can't tell a dog to get rid of its spots, now can you?" He asked his lips moving even closer to her milky white skin.

"If that's what it takes, then I'll have neither…" She spoke and then was turned around to face him for the first time.

This time was different from their first encounter. This time, you couldn't even tell the difference from Gaara's normal state. No different colored eyes, no half rabid animal… Just… Gaara.

"Please, what can I do to change your mind then?" 'Gaara' asked bringing her body closer to his almost bare one.

Makoto looked up into his eyes and blushed biting her lower lip… This is what Eve must have felt like when she was offered the forbidden fruit… This… This was so hard. If he didn't look like Gaara it wouldn't be so tempting to say yes…

She couldn't rip her eyes away from his. He had never stared at her like this before. He had never looked at her softly, pleading… This was a whole different Gaara… One that wouldn't be so bad to know.

"I…. I…." She spoke her eyes staying connected to his. She couldn't help it… She had to.

She brought her lips towards his and the closer she got to him the further her eyes shut. Just as their lips were about to touch a tear rolled down her cheek as she whispered.

"I'm sorry." And his eyes shot open in pain as he screamed in agony letting go of her as she backed away tears falling from her eyes.

Electricity crackled around him until he laid on the floor his breathes labored and then began to return to normal.

She sniffed and looked away for a second. She never wanted to see him in pain ever again… Especially pain from her doing… But it couldn't be helped, even if it did look like Gaara, it wasn't him. And she had helped him. But in a way, she felt that she had done the opposite.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and walked over to him she bent down to pick him up then stopped. No, it wasn't Shukaku and he hadn't waken up… It was just that… Well… He was practically naked… She didn't want to hold him… And she really REALLY didn't want to dress him… But, it looked like the second option was the only way to go. What she didn't understand was that if he was unconscious and then why wasn't Shukaku coming out full blown? Maybe she had injured him too much… Maybe…

She walked over to a draw and grabbed a shirt and a pair of sweatpants. She gulped and knelt down next to his sleeping form. She was unfolding the shirt and ready to put it on him when she saw the burn marks on his chest from her. Her eyes welled with tears at the thought of her doing that to him.

Now she didn't care if he was dressed or not, she picked him up as gently as possible, making sure she didn't touch a burned area. She walked over and laid his body on the bed gently and quickly ran out of the room to fetch a cool cloth and something to treat his burns.

She quickly came back and knelt down on the floor beside the bed. She dipped the cloth in the cool water, wrung it out and began to dab it on the burn marks.

She felt sick to her stomach. She had caused him pain, she had hurt him… Just like everyone else had… She would never forgive herself.

"I'm as horrible as they were to you…" She cried softly a few tears landed on his chest as she dabbed the cloth on other red and blotchy parts.

"If there was one time to get it right, it was then Kino." A hoarse voice spoke as she looked up tears flying from her eyes as she did.

"G-Gaara!" She cried biting her lip as it quivered.

"I-I….I'm so sorry, I didn't know what to do with him a-and I panicked and now I've hurt you too…" She cried.

She quietly sobbed while she looked back at the wounds on his body.

He didn't say anything… Not by choice though. Yes, Subaku no Gaara was indeed speechless!!

"H-here… This ointment should help your burns… They'll stop burning and it will make them heal faster…" She spoke and showed him the cream.

"This… This might hurt a bit." She said quietly and dipped her finger into the container and gently placed it on the burn.

She felt his body tense as she quickly pulled her hand away and looked up at his calm face she nodded and began to place the medicine on his burn once again.

It didn't take long for her to finish and once she had she put the cap back on the container and took the water and damp cloth out into the kitchen.

When she came back she saw Gaara lying with his eyes shut and while, she guessed, that he was meditating. Her eyes softened and a warm smile graced her face as she looked at him kindly.

She walked over to the bed and sat on the other side and looked at him a smile still on her lips. She looked away and sighed as she leaned against the headboard.

She was watching over him, yeah… That was it… And she wasn't falling asleep next to him… She was just resting her eyes……

-:-

He swore that he smelled roses… If he remembered correctly those were the flowers with the blood red blossom and the thorny stem… Their smell was sweet an alluring, very soft and not overbearing like some flowers… It was one of the few that he liked. It was a delicacy for him to see or smell one; he only saw them in the thriving and lush villages, like Konoha for example.

But this rose… It was different…

He opened his eyes expecting to see a bouquet of crimson colored flowers next to his face but found something much more… Interesting.

His eyes widened as he looked at the brunette next to him. Her chocolate tresses fell over her face and close to his, her soft petal lips were parted slightly as she breathed slowly. She was very serene.

He then noticed that his arms were around her waist and her hand was holding one of his. Tangled legs, a messed up bed… Him half naked… Together. In. Bed.

What had happened after he had begun to meditate? This had to be the closest he had ever been to sleep before…

His thoughts were stopped as he felt her snuggle closer to his body for the hope of warmth. She laid her head on his chest as he felt her warm breathes against his bare chest.

She had to be able to feel his heart slamming against the inside of his body!! There was no way it wasn't going to wake her up!! He breathed in deeply trying to think of a way to get out of this situation without waking her up. If he was lucky and got away maybe she would think a lot of what happened last night was a dream… If anything did happen last night that is…

Well she was fully clothed for one… And if something… DID happen, then why would she bother to get dressed?... That was it, nothing happened and he knew it…. Maybe. Well in any case he would be able to tell by the way she acted towards him once she had awakened.

He closed his eyes and slowly materialized himself off the bed, slow enough not to disturb her slumber. He dressed as quickly as he could, trying not to hit his burns and walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

He had made it.

He looked at the clock and cursed. It was ten o'clock. He had overslept and he and Makoto had missed the meeting with his council where they were going to discuss the wedding arrangements with the two! Now he had to think of an excuse and wake her ass up.

Baki would ask "Gaara why did you miss the meeting this morning?"

And Gaara would answer "Oh, I was asleep in bed with my fiancée and we were up late last night so we were really tired. Oh and did I fail to mention that we may have had sex, most likely I was forced to by my demon escaping and raping her… but I'm not sure, we'll have to see what she recalls."

Yeah. Right.

-:-

"Stop tugging! It's not going to make us any earlier! So why don't you take a chill pill and relax! You're Kazekage!! They can't yell at you and be like 'You were late! Now you're in trouble!' You're not their kid!!" Makoto shouted as they walked out of the elevator and to the council room.

He didn't let go of her arm until they made it to the door and he knocked waiting for the door to open. Makoto looked at herself and made sure she was presentable as she smoothed down her skirt and ruffled her hair.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"And you were just nagging at me that you didn't care what my council thought of you." Gaara ridiculed.

"Well, I'd rather be a hypocrite than someone who won't slip so much as a toe out of line so he can save his hide!" Makoto retaliated.

Before Gaara could continue the doors opened and Makoto looked around to see many faces staring at her… None that she had remembered from the time before.

Gaara walked in front of her and she took that as a gesture to follow him. He walked over and sat at the head of the table and she spied a chair next to him, guessing that they had placed her there. So she took it.

She didn't like this feeling. They were looking at her like she would betray them at any given second. She was being judged.

"So, Kazekage-Sama… Why were you delayed this morning?" One of the men asked and Makoto looked up to see almost everyone's eyes looking at her.

Her mouth almost dropped until she told herself to stop. They thought she was some kind of a whore!!!

"_These dirty, rotten, assholes of so called men!!!!"_ She thought venomously as she looked down at the table, most of council probably deciding that she was trying to burn a hole threw the oak table they were seated at.

"_I haven't even laid a finger on the guy!! For kami's sake! I haven't even kissed him yet!!! It's been what?... Two and a half months since we first met and we haven't even made it to half a base!! Not even first for the love of Crystal Tokyo!!" _Makoto ranted viciously in her mind.

"We had to attend to something that needed to be taken care of…" Gaara replied and Makoto looked up to see most of the men were satisfied with his answer… Most.

"Kazekage-Sama, I do believe we will need a better explanation than that. Just because you have a woman now that may fulfill needs that were once left untouched, doesn't mean that you should be distracted by such hooliganism!"

Oh it was on now buddy!!! It was on **now!!!**

Makoto stood up and slammed her fist into the table making it fly up and tip over, reluctantly missing anyone.

"Who the **Hell** do you think you are to judge someone by-"

"Kino." She heard Gaara say as his hand gripped her wrist.

She turned and looked at his eyes.

He was telling her to stop. She ripped her hurt gaze away and then drifted down to the floor. His grip loosened and she looked up at him again.

"I'll wait outside." She spoke harshly and ripped her wrist out of his grasp and walked out, but not without sending a death glare in the direction of a pair of watchful eyes.

She grabbed the handle of the door and slammed it shut so that it shook the floor… She wished she wouldn't have held back and ripped it off of its hinges.

-:-

"I just don't get it Kara… I've done everything right; I was standing up for him… Maybe he doesn't want me to fight his battles for him… But still, that was my battle too, so he should have backed me up, right!?" Makoto shouted confessing everything to the poor helpless secretary.

"You're right, Makoto-Chan. You did everything right and it's good that you stood up to them. You shouldn't worry about anything; Kazekage-Sama will fix everything." Kara reassured the brunette as she handed her a cup of tea.

Makoto sighed and took a sip then replied.

"But, I still don't get it. I tried to look nice and act right… For the first two minutes… Argh!!" She shouted and put her head in her hands.

"I can't do anything right!! He is going to be so mad at me!... God, I'll never hear the end of it on our way home…" Makoto cried.

She expected to hear the voice of Kara but it was a male.

"Well, I should have expected to see you here. You can call it irony, I guess." The man said with a smile in his voice.

She could feel Kara tensed to the right of her and Makoto looked at the persons shoes then pulled her fingers away from her eyes and looked up to see Ren.

"Yatsumaro-San… It's nice to see you again." Makoto said mustering up the best smile that she could.

"Please, just call me Ren." He smiled a dashing toothy smile at her.

She quickly glanced over to see Kara staring at him like he was a god or something. She was a total Minako at heart.

"Okay, Ren. Ano, so what brings you here?" Makoto asked looking at him as he smiled again.

"I have to speak with one of the Council members about some business he had asked me to attend to." He replied.

"For all I care, those bastards can burn in Hell for all eternity." She mumbled and looked at the ground, resuming her hole burning practice.

"Wow, you really don't like them do you?" He asked with a smirk.

"Well… Not _all_ of them… Just a few… Mainly one… Asshole…" She replied angrily.

Just as 'Ren' was about to reply the doors to the office flew open with Gaara angrily barreling out of it. Shouts and pleas of his return beckoned him but he had his eye only on one thing: Makoto.

Unfortunately, his glare caught another person he despised: 'Ren'.

"**There's the bastard again, next to Little Rose." **Shukaku spoke for the first time yet since he had escaped.

"_Shut the Hell up."_ Gaara growled in his mind, the last thing he wanted to do was to hear his sickening voice.

Makoto stood up and looked Gaara in the eyes but he wasn't watching her now, he was watching Deidara.

"Stay away from her, if you don't wish to die." He seethed as he walked by and grabbed Makoto's wrist and pulled her along.

"We need to leave." He spoke harshly to her as he walked on.

"But, Gaara-"

"Now!" He shouted and Makoto could now hear the footsteps and pleas coming closer to them.

He pushed the button for the elevator and Makoto looked back to see the Council running after him.

Her eyes widened and her hair on the back of her neck stood on end. They were like a stamped!

She turned around and pressed the button over and over again.

"Can't this damned thing go any faster!!?" She shouted then finally the door opened just as they were ten feet away and Gaara quickly pulled her inside.

Makoto stepped backwards and felt the cold metal against her back they were too close, almost there in a matter of seconds and the doors still had a few inches to go.

Then, they shut.

She must have been holding her breath because she let out a huge breath of air as she slid to the floor.

"What the Hell did you do to make them freak out like that?" She asked looking up at him.

He didn't reply he only flickered his gaze to her for a second.

He grabbed her upper arm more gently this time, and pulled her up and the doors opened and they began to set foot out of the elevator when they heard the rumble of feet and shouts barreling down the stairs.

"For God's sake!! They're almost all old men!!! You'd think that would have slowed them down a little bit!!" Makoto cried as she tried to dash out of the elevator but Gaara wouldn't let her go.

She turned around to yell at him that they needed to get out of here, but he didn't something that she never in a million years thought he would do.

He pulled her close to his body and wrapped his arms around her, gripping her tightly in a hug. She didn't know how to react, she was going to hug him back, but she couldn't move. Just as she moved her arms to hug him… She felt a strange and unknown sensation on her body. She closed her eyes and hugged him tighter.

She didn't like this feeling it scared her and made her heart rush. She felt his arms loosen around her body.

She opened her eyes and gasped.

They were home!! In the living room even!!

Her arms were still around him when she looked back at him amazed. He pulled her arms off of him.

"How, did you-… Can you-"

"I can use my sand to do that, but it's harder with another person." He replied and walked into the kitchen and she followed like a lost puppy.

"What… What did you say to them Gaara?" She asked again.

He wavered, and then replied.

"Most of them don't trust you at all. They think that you'll betray Suna in a second flat. Or that you'll be a part of its down fall. I had to tell them that you have no motive to do so, but they wanted to know why. So I had to tell them-"

"You told them about me and my Senshi!!? Gaara are you a damned idiot!! What if one of them is working for Orochimaru!!?? What if he goes after Usagi and I'm not there!? Are-"

"I only told them it was you! And that you were the only one here and that you needed my help as said from the Hokage! No one's going to touch your precious little Hime, Kino! I saved your ass you could give me a little thanks!" He shouted stepping closer to her and watched her emotions change quickly.

She looked away then stomped off to 'her' room.

"Baka Kazekage…" She spat she was walked down the hall and slammed the door shut.

-:-

Ami walked over and sat down on a log close to where the other Senshi were. She breathed in heavily and quickly just as her fellow companions were, especially Usagi.

Sweat was pouring from her brow as she quickly wiped it away from her eyes.

"_These guys sure are in shape!! It makes me feel ashamed that we're in such bad shape, even after all of our hard work! It's not like we just lay around and do nothing… Well scratch that it's not like all of us but Usagi lay around do nothing!"_ Ami thought and grabbed her water bottle out of her bag, making sure she didn't drink the water too fast so she wouldn't make herself sick.

Just as she reached into her bag to put the bottle away a sudden beeping caught her attention along with everyone else near her and the girls.

She looked at the communicator and picked it up flipping the lid open.

" Konban wa Ami-Chan!" A cheerful voice spoke loud enough for all to hear.

"Hey Mako- ChaAHHHH!!" Ami shouted as she was bombarded by her fellow Senshi jumping on top of her and fighting over the communicator.

"MAKO-CHAN!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ENGAGED!!! AND YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED BEFORE ME!? SO NOT COOL!!" Usagi screamed in the little part of the communicator she had.

Everyone was standing on top of poor Ami and the three girls were pulling on the one small device.

"Shut up my turn! Mako how did my love advice go! Did you make out! Did you do it!? Did ya huh, did ya!? Come on I know I got you- Hey!"

"My turn Mina! Mako-Chan!! If you did anything with that dirty perverted guy, I'll kill you!! Minako-baka doesn't know what she's talking about! You need to stay away from him! We'll be leaving soon so there's no point to get attached!!"

"Rei you're such a hypocrite! You were just telling us how hot you thought your Sasuke-Kun was!! So can it sister!!" Mina shouted and pushed Rei to the ground on top of Ami and grabbed the communicator.

"So, did you do it, or did you not do it? That is the question!... HAHAHA!! I crack myself up!!" Mina shouted then was tackled to the ground by Rei who began hitting each other.

Then Usagi got a hold of the communicator again.

All the males stopped and looked at the scene not believing what they saw.

"Girls…. Hey, maybe we should just calm down and let Mako-Chan talk." Mamoru spoke softly trying to calm the beasts as he walked over a little too close and was uppercut by Rei.

"Hey that's my fiancée you Baka-Miko!!!" Usagi screamed and threw the communicator at the ground.

She threw it so that it landed right in front of Ami's pleading face.

"Please… help.. Me?" She asked then the communicator went blank leaving Makoto with an astonished look on her face.

She could hardly tell herself to pull her jaw up into place. She then closed the communicator and sighed deeply.

Gaara had left to go and talk to the Council alone before they decided to come banging on his door. Which he knew would happen.

She stood up from the bed and walked into the living room and twisted the doorknob to walk out.

Just as she lifted her foot to walk outside, Gaara's warning popped into her mind.

"If you leave, I'll know it. And when I find you, you'll regret it." His warning was heeded as Makoto rolled her eyes and slammed the door shut behind her.

What was he gonna do about it!? She just wanted to talk to her Senshi and they couldn't even give her the advice she needed and if the outers weren't so busy training with Kankuro, she would talk to them. But she just decided to go out and have a nice dinner by herself… This was something to make her remember Tokyo since she did that often back home.

The next thing she knew she was sitting in a bar drinking a glass of orange juice and eating an egg and a side of bacon. After finishing it she decided to just sit there and take in the simple kind of atmosphere of the place.

She sighed placing her hand under her chin in a sort of depressed way.

"You look like you need a drink kid." A kind man said to Makoto as she looked up at him and smiled like it was nothing.

"That's alright, I don't drink." She replied wording her response carefully.

"Alright then." He replied with a kind smile. She smiled back.

He seemed nice and the good kind of friendly… Not the perverted friendly like all the other looks she had received since she had been here.

Then her mind wandered back into its depressed state.

She had a right to you know! I mean, she was forced into an arranged marriage and now she was actually falling for the hard-assed Kazekage when she knew perfectly well that she would have to give him up as soon as they defeated the enemy.

Kami knew how long that would take!! It could be next week or in a year!... Maybe even two! What was Tokyo going to do without the Senshi for that long!? What if she and-….

Her eyes widened and looked back the bartender speaking to one of the locals.

What if-…

What if in those possible two years or even in the first year that… She and Gaara decided to have children?!!!...

"Um, Sir… come to think of it… It's always good to try something new, I'll take you up on that offer." Makoto spoke catching the bartenders attention and he smiled.

"Sure, what would you like?" He asked her and walked over in her direction.

"What do you recommend for my type? I'll take whatever you think is best." She replied.

"Alright then." He said with a smile and went to making the drink.

She was under aged, yes, but… If Gaara could do it, and she was his future wife then why couldn't she?

-:-

"I just don't hic get it, Arashi… I mean, I've hic been trying so hard to make him like me and to hic get along with me… but… I don't know… I don't know!... I don't want to leave him, but hic I'll have to and I know it." Makoto slurred in a drunken stupor as she spoke to the bartender her empty glasses of margaritas and pina coladas as well as various other alcoholic drinks surrounding her.

Luckily she had managed to leave out the important details like, Gaara was the Fiancée she was speaking of and the whole ordeal with the Senshi and Orochimaru… And that she wasn't supposed to be here.

"Well, Kino-San… Maybe you should wait for him to make the move… that's what I ended up doing while I was courting my wife and-" He stopped and looked behind him to a picture of a beautiful woman and Arashi standing together smiling.

"-And we've been married for fifteen years… and still going. And she told me if I hadn't made the last move, she would have left before I was going to get to propose to her… let your fiancée know how you're feeling… As you said, he may be a 'hard-ass' but maybe he's just trying to protect himself and not to hurt you in the process. He's just trying to protect you Kino-San… Just tell him what you told me, I'm sure he'll understand your feelings." The thirty-three year old man smiled kindly at Makoto as she smiled back.

"Maybe you're hic right Arashi-San… I should tell him! He needs to know how I feel about him and see that I'm not going to wait forever either!" She shouted happily at the new found advice and smiled.

"Arigato Arashi-San! Ja ne!" She shouted and waved as she staggered a little when she walked out into the cold night air.

Just as she closed the door to the bar a hand grasped her upper arm tightly and covered her mouth.

Her cry was muffled by a hand and they tightened the grip on her body.

"I thought I told you not to leave." The voice hissed and she relaxed even though any other time she wouldn't have but, she had sworn that he had been the enemy.

She let her body rest and leaned against his in true bliss, she was safe… He wasn't the enemy trying to kill her.

This pissed him off even more that she so willingly trusted him, he wasn't some damned bunny to hold close! He became a vicious killer at only the tender age of six, yeah he was more calm and able to hold back now, but that was no excuse to be so unguarded around him!

He whipped her around and faced her. Their eyes locking and she smiled up at him her glassy eyes gleaming with a strange emotion… Then he realized something.

"Gaara-Kun… It's good to see hic you! What did the hic bastards say this time hic about me?" Makoto asked stumbling over her words.

"_Shimatte…"_ Gaara thought to himself.

"**Hehehehe!! So Little Rose is a drinker!?" **Shukaku taunted in his mind.

"_I can't be near her like this… It appeals to him more and in this state I'll never know what she's planning on doing…" _Gaara thought as he looked at Makoto as she looked around where she was, most likely not remembering where she was anymore.

"Lets go now." Gaara spoke and pulled her along roughly, thanking Kami that she didn't resist.

She grabbed his hand and hugged his arm.

He tensed and looked down at her and she smiled with a blush… He couldn't tell if she was blushing from the alcohol or of the shy part of her showing through.

"**I like her drunk… She seems easy… We may have some fun tonight after all if-"**

"_Don't!!!"_ Gaara screamed in his mind fiercely his voice filled with the tone of protection.

Just as they turned to walk up the stairs to the house, suddenly he felt Makoto stop and pull him back.

"Kino-"

"I love this song!!" Makoto shouted happily catching the song just as it came on.

She pulled away from him and smiled as he let out a sound that sounded more like a growl of annoyance than a sigh.

Makoto listened and began singing along with the song, even though she was completely drunk and off her rocker, somehow it didn't affect her singing.

"_Ah, ah ah  
You're so good to me baby, baby_

I wanna lock you up in my closet when no one's around  
I wanna put your hand in my pocket because you're allowed  
I wanna drive you into the corner and kiss you without a sound  
I wanna stay this way forever I'll say it loud"

Makoto smiled as she watched Gaara's expression change when she ran her finger along his jaw line as she circled him like prey. 

"_Now you're in, and you can't get out_

_  
You make me so hot  
Make me wanna drop  
It's so ridiculous  
I can barely stop  
I can hardly breathe  
You make me wanna scream  
You're so fabulous  
You're so good to me baby, baby  
You're so good to me baby, baby"  
_

"_I can make you feel all better, just take it in  
And I can show you all the places you've never been  
And I can make you say everything that you've never said  
And I will let you do anything again and again"_

She laughed because she now sworn that he was blushing and she was going to go in for the kill as soon as this song was over.

"_Do, or die Mako… Do or die!!!!"_ she screamed to herself and continued the song. 

"_Now you're in, and you can't get out  
_

_You make me so hot  
Make me wanna drop  
It's so ridiculous  
I can barely stop  
I can hardly breathe  
You make me wanna scream  
You're so fabulous  
You're so good to me baby, baby  
You're so good to me baby, baby"_

_  
_Makoto walked up and put her hands on his shoulders and pulled his face close to hers and one hand at the back of his neck her fingers matted in his red hair.

"_Kiss me gently  
Always I know  
Hold me, love me  
Don't ever go  
Ooh, yeah yeah"  
_

"_You make me so hot  
Make me wanna drop  
It's so ridiculous  
I can barely stop  
I can hardly breathe  
You make me wanna scream  
You're so fabulous  
You're so good to me baby, baby  
You're so good to me baby, baby_

_You make me so hot  
Make me wanna drop  
It's so ridiculous  
I can barely stop  
I can hardly breathe  
You make me wanna scream  
You're so fabulous  
You're so good to me baby, baby  
You're so good to me baby, baby"_

She then brought his face close to hers, their lips so close and she whispered in his ear,

"_You're so good." _

She closed her eyes and brought herself closer to him and now their lips were only a mere centimeter apart and she pulled backed and laughed.

"Yeah right! You're too chicken to kiss anyone Kazekage-**Sama**." Makoto laughed as she winked at the boy and he glowered.

"**Playing hard to get… I like that."** Shukaku said licking his lips.

It was making it even harder for Gaara to resist that girl and the damned Tanuki wasn't helping the smallest bit!

But Gaara couldn't just sit there and have someone say that he was a chicken!!

"Kino, you're beginning to cross the line. I don't care if you are drunk you keep it up and you'll regret it as I said before." Gaara growled and began walking towards her and she turned around.

"Oh, really? Then what would you do if I did… This?" She asked then walked up to him and pulled him just as close as they had been a minute ago and smiled.

"What are you going to do now Gaara? Just stand there like an idiot and chicken out, or are you going to kiss me?" She asked him so close that she had to stand on the tips of her toes.

Gaara stared into her eyes long and hard, he was trying to tell himself that everything she was saying was alcohol induced… he could feel that Shukaku was waiting to know what he did too.

Finally she pulled away, he had his chance.

"Tst I should have guessed, I'm asking you, pretty much begging you to kiss me, forcing you even and you-" Suddenly Makoto's arm was grabbed again and she was stopped from going up the stairs and hurdled back into his arms and his lips pressed against hers as she froze.

Her eyes widened and then shut again as her face turned a deep red.

This was the strangest feeling Gaara had ever felt… And it was strange because she wasn't responding to the kiss…Suddenly her body fell limp against his…

He pulled away from her and held her body up and rolled his eyes at the idiotic brunette…

"**HAHAHAHAHA!!! You most be some kisser kid, if you can knock her out before she can even realize what's going on!!" **Shukaku's laugh barreled through his head as he looked at her.

She had forgotten about sleeping next to him last night… But would she forget kissing him tonight?

-:-

Most of the next morning Makoto spent hugging and learning to become best friends with the toilet down the hall. She walked out in a haggard looking state and glared at Gaara who was sitting on the couch with a mess of papers crowded around him.

"Would you care to explain to me why you let me leave the house and get so drunk that I ended up forgetting everything as soon as I entered the bar?" Makoto growled placing her hand lazily on her hip, but Gaara didn't look at her.

She swore that she saw him show a flash of relief at her comment but figured it was the terrible migraine attacking her mind at the moment.

She growled and plopped down on the cushion next to him.

"Fine, don't answer the question. Just sit there and ignore my, your future fiancées', existence." Makoto spat crossing her arms under her chest.

He still said nothing; the only sound he made was that of his pen scratching against the important documents.

She sighed and then leaned back on the couch and watched him as he worked diligently.

Just as she was thinking of getting up and trying to eat something he spoke.

"We'll be meeting with the Council again, this time they won't speak out of turn. We have to discuss everything with them about the arrangements and how to go about addressing it to the public before the rumors spread like a disease." He said still not looking at her as she growled in aggravation.

"When?" She asked angrily.

"Tomorrow morning." He replied and she sighed again.

She would give anything to never see the faces of the men ever again!

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Makoto's head snapped in the direction of the noise and looked at Gaara who stood up acting like he knew that it was going to occur.

He opened and Makoto's jaw dropped to the ground, her eyes the size of watermelons.

-:-

Okay I really, really, REALLY hate the last half of this chapter!! DIE!!! DIE!!! **DIE!!!!** I'm sorry I just severely dislike it… Like you have no idea how much!! XP Well, I swear to you that chapter six will kick this one's ass! It'll be a freakin' grand-slam baby! Well… I hope I didn't kill you with boredom, or with my horrible writing!... God, you don't understand how much I hate this!!! Well… I'm off to redeem what good writing skills I actually have and throw them all over chapter six!! Which _should_ be up next weekend, maybe sooner. It all depends on what Finals I have to take for school and if I have time to spear.

"Hot" belongs to Avril on her new album "The Best Damn Thing"

Later you guys, and thanks for putting up with me!!

-Kat


	6. What The Little Things Teach You

Wow, it's been a while since I updated this story… Thank you guys for bearing with my constant distraction from it! Lol! But anyways, I really hope this chapter pleases all of you that read WITS since I've still managed to leave poor Mako-chan Sasuke-less after all those years of her waiting to see him. **Warning: Major fluffiness will occur throughout the chapter, possible 'awing' may come about and for your safety, read with caution due to the possibility of uncontrollable dreamy sighs. You have been warned… ** Lol.Enjoy you guys, you deserve it! Again, sorry for the super long delay!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Desert Rose

Chapter Six: What The Little Things Teach You

-:- Last Time -:-

"We'll be meeting with the Council again, this time they won't speak out of turn. We have to discuss everything with them about the arrangements and how to go about addressing it to the public before the rumors spread like a disease." He said still not looking at her as she growled in aggravation.

"When?" She asked angrily.

"Tomorrow morning." He replied and she sighed again.

She would give anything to never see the faces of those men ever again!

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Makoto's head snapped in the direction of the noise and looked at Gaara who stood up acting like he knew that it was going to occur.

He opened and Makoto's jaw dropped to the ground, her eyes the size of watermelons.

The man the stood before her was the one of the very people she was talking about. He had what looked to be a bandage wrapped around his head and some material hanging down in front of one side of his face. He looked at Makoto with a sympathetic look.

She shook the surprised and pissed expression off of her face and looked away.

"Kazekage-Sama." The man greeted and stepped through the door bowing slightly to his younger superior.

"Baki." Gaara greeted his once Sensei.

"Kino-Sama." The 'Sama' at the end of her name caught her off guard. She thought it over and guessed that maybe if she was going to be married to the Kazekage that would make her a higher stature than The Council.

"Please, just call me Makoto." Makoto insisted putting on her best smile and then glared at Gaara which screamed 'Why the Hell didn't you tell me we were having people over when I'm hung-over!?'

She noticed that he made no attempt to look or acknowledge her rays of doom and quietly snorted.

Makoto looked away and looked up at the man.

"I'm sure you're here to see Gaara, I'll make some tea." Makoto said and turned away but was stopped by Baki speaking.

"I'm not just here to see Kazekage-Sama, Makoto." Makoto turned around and looked at him skeptically.

Her expression told him to continue.

"I want to apologize for Yurra's outburst yesterday… He was out of place. He should be here instead of me, but I believe that you are someone that he doesn't want to trifle with any longer… And after what Kazekage-Sama told us about your purpose here… I believe you will no longer have any problems with him, or anyone else… Especially if you are able to suppress the Tanuki…" Baki spoke proudly as Makoto looked at him and smiled.

"_That's right bitch! Fear me! I am Kino Makoto: Guardian of Jupiter! Hear me roar!"_ Makoto laughed to herself in her thoughts.

"Well… Arigato Baki-San." Makoto smiled at the man. She liked him, he was strong and wasn't a pussy like the man he was disrespecting… She would get along with this man. And he also seemed very loyal to Gaara, and she would respect that man for that.

"I'll go and make that tea now." Makoto said with a smile and walked away and into the kitchen.

-:-

"_God I must look disgusting!... Good lord… how could Gaara not mention this to me!?..." _ Makoto's thoughts were broken by hearing the sound alerting her that the tea was done.

"I'll just deal with him once Baki-San leaves..." Makoto said to herself as she fixed the tea and walked back into the room.

She set the tea down and took her place next to Gaara and handed him a glass half surprised that he actually took it, but she knew he probably wouldn't drink it.

"As you both know… You will need to address the public soon before anything gets out of hand… And you will have to make all of the arrangements of the wedding soon, guest list, dress, location, invitations-"

"Do you double as a wedding planner or something?" Makoto asked as Baki sweat dropped.

"Kino…" Gaara seethed.

"What!? I don't know what we're going to do and I am NOT planning this all by myself, you're going to help me! It's not just my wedding, and I need to know your decisions too! I have enough stressful things on my mind right now." She snapped and took another sip of her tea…

"Um… Well you see-" Suddenly Baki was cut off by the door flying open.

"**Get her off of me!"** Kankuro screamed as he tried to get Hotaru off of his back, and Makoto's eye twitched as she held her head in pain.

"Aww! But Kanky-Kun, it's so fun up here! And mama and papa said it was okay! Don't you like me!? I- MAKO-CHAN!" Hotaru screamed and jumped off of Kankuro's back and glomped the suffering and foaming at the mouth Makoto.

"Mako-Chan, I missed you so much! I wish we didn't have to stay at that apartment, Kanky can't cook well and mama and papa have to go buy dinner every night! I miss your cooking, will you cook dinner for us tonight!?... Mako-Chan?... Are you okay?" Hotaru asked and shook the Senshi who had swirly eyes and had passed out because the pain in her head was so unbearable….

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! Kanky-Kun! MAKO-CHAN'S DEAD! WAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hotaru cried and hugged Makoto's body and Kankuro put his head in his hand and sighed deeply and picked the little seven year old up.

"Hotaru…?" He asked and turned her to face him, her tears spilling from her violet eyes.

"H-h-h-hai, K-Kank-ky?" She wept.

"Makoto isn't dead… You knocked her out…" Kankuro could have sworn that he watched her mind light up as she thought.

"Oh!... In that case, let's draw on her face!" Hotaru smiled mischievously as did Kankuro.

"That's the most intelligent thing I've heard you say since I met you Hotaru." Kankuro smiled and Hotaru scrunched up her face and knocked him over the head.

"Hey! I'm a genius! Don't talk to me like that you booger-head!" Hotaru spat and stuck out her tongue.

"Hn." Gaara growled and Hotaru gasped.

"Gaara-Kun!" She shouted and scrambled out of Kankuro's hold and onto Gaara's lap and hugged him.

"How are you Gaara-Kun!? So do you love Mako-Chan yet? You really should, because I'm pretty sure she loves you. You know, I heard her telling papa that she-"

Suddenly Makoto's eyes shot open and she realized what Hotaru was going to say next, and that was something she would NEVER want Gaara to know… At least right now.

She jumped up and took Hotaru away from Gaara and covered her mouth and laughed nervously.

"Hehehehehe! I was telling Ruka that she needed to be nicer to you because you mean no harm… Hehehehehehe! Yeah, yep…" Makoto blushed and saw that everyone in the room was watching her.

"Nu-uh! You said that you wanted to-"

"**To** tell Gaara that Ruka says that she's sorry!" Makoto laughed and covered the mini Senshi's mouth again sending her a glare.

"Sorry for what Koto?" A voice asked as Ruka and Michiru walked through the door.

Makoto's eye began to twitch at the irony of this situation.

"That you were sorry for being mean to Gaara and that you understand now." Makoto spoke and glared at her telling her that she better play along.

Too bad for Mako, Ruka was unable to detect the glare.

"Bullshit!! I didn't say that!" Haruka yelled and Baki almost choked on his tea.

"That's right Mako-Chan! Papa! Tell Mako-Chan that it's not right to lie!" Hotaru shouted and Makoto glared at her fuming.

"You little tattletale!"

"Kazekage-Sama? Who are these people?" Baki asked and Makoto and Gaara froze.

If Gaara had told the Council that Makoto was the only Senshi here, there plan would be blown!

"We're the other Sailor Senshi. You should know that, Setsuna should have already visited you." Haruka replied sternly.

Makoto didn't move and Gaara glared at the woman.

"Ruka…." Makoto whined helplessly.

"What? Kazekage-Sama, you told me that Makoto was the only one… Are there more than these three?" He asked and Gaara was about to reply, but Makoto did instead.

"Baki-San, please. Don't tell the other Council members! The life of our world, your Village as well as Konoha depends on this secret. Orochimaru wants our Queen and we were put here to protect her and find information outside of Konoha. Our Queen is there and if he finds out the slightest idea of where she is, many lives including ones here, will be lost… To put it more simply, if you tell the Council, you make yourself a death wish." Makoto finished her face completely serious.

Baki looked to Gaara for confirmation of what she was saying as the young redhead nodded ever so slightly.

Baki looked at the ground then back up at Makoto and Gaara.

"You have my word, Kazekage-Sama… I will keep this information to myself; I do believe there are some in our own circle that are not to be trusted…" Baki spoke and bowed to them all.

"I'm afraid I must now take my leave, they are expecting me back soon. Take care, Makoto, Kazekage-Sama…" Baki spoke then walked out the door.

The room was silent…

"Wow! Did you see that guy's cool outfit?! He looked like a guy from a movie!" Hotaru shouted and Makoto smiled slightly and walked into her the kitchen.

"You and I need to have a talk about repeating everything you hear…" Makoto spoke as her voice began to fade away.

-:-

After taking a few aspirin to dull the flooding pain that made her head throb she had to sit down and listen to Haruka berate her for drinking which certainly didn't help her poor head, and then she was to go into town just to walk around with Gaara so that people would see them up and about.

Kankuro had said something about them giving confidence to the villagers of Suna if the Kazekage was to be seen mingling with the people.

She walked alongside him, now used to the stares and whispers that she received, and she smiled enjoying the warm of the sun.

She did though miss the soggy moisture that the rain would bring quite frequently to Tokyo, but she now found herself warming up to Suna and its Kage.

She looked up at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled seeing him with his normal scowl on his face as he looked forward.

She huffed and looked the other way.

"How is it that you can walk around in those long robes and not die of heat?" She asked and brought the back of her hand to her forehead wiping the sweat away.

He glanced down at her and then looked back up.

"You get used to it." He replied and she sweat dropped.

He had been acting stranger than normal all day, and she couldn't stand it anymore.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked calmly and crossed her arms under her chest and she didn't let her eyes leave him.

"Nothing." He replied and she sighed angrily, now loosing her patience.

"Look, Gaara… I'm for one, not stupid and two, we're going to be…" He felt the wavering tone in her voice and knew what she was about to say.

"…and whether you like it or not, we're going to be married and whether you think so or not, I do care about more than just _my_ well being." She spoke a small bit of pink appearing on her cheeks as she looked down at the ground not wanting to see what his reaction to her comment would be.

He looked down with almost a surprised expression to see that she was looking flustered and uncomfortable.

"**She's being open, so why don't you give it a shot, kid?"** Shukaku whispered in his thoughts.

Gaara growled at the sound of his voice and knew that he was planning something.

"Makoto-" Gaara turned to her to reply but she wasn't there. His brow furrowed and he heard her voice behind him.

"It's alright, see." She smiled while she kneeled down to a little red haired girl who had obviously skinned her knee.

She removed her hand and the girl looked at her knee, fresh tears still rolling down her face then gasped to see that the wound was gone.

Gaara watched in wonder how she had healed the girl.

"_How did she do that?... Only medic-nin knows how to control their charka that well."_ Gaara thought.

"**That Hotaru girl. That kid is an amazing healer, haven't you noticed? She's always healing her small cuts. I bet she taught Little Rose how to do that. You need to learn to be more observant."** The demon answered as he growled.

The little girl looked up at Makoto who smiled down at her caringly.

"See, there's no-" Makoto was cut off by the little redhead jumping into her arms and hugging her.

"Thank you! You're so nice lady!" She shouted happily as Makoto wrapped her arms around her then patted her head.

"Hehe, you're welcome. Now do you promise you'll be careful?" She asked and handed the girl back her ball and she smiled and vigorously nodded her head.

"I promise!" She smiled and turned around; waving goodbye, then took off down the street.

Makoto stood up crossing her arms under her chest and watched as the little girl ran back over to her friends. She laughed as she watched her most likely telling them what Makoto had done and she kept pointing over at her and her friends gapped at the brunette in astonishment.

She giggled and turned around, a pleased smile spread across her lips.

"_I don't deserve to be with anyone like her… She is loved by all… I've never had anything like that."_ Gaara thought and watched her walk back over to him.

"_I don't belong with her, I have always been someone who was hated and feared, while she was loved and cared for… That girl trusted her."_ Gaara thought again as Makoto stood in front of him.

"**Kid! Don't think like that! You need her, she completes you! You know the whole opposites attract thing and you both being polar opposites! You're perfect for each other!" **The demon protested.

"I'm sorry I just walked away like that, I didn't want to leave her just sitting there an-"

"It's fine, let's go." He spoke and turned around while she stood there for a few minutes just watching him.

"_Gaara… What really is wrong with you?"_ She thought sadly, hoping that he would have opened up to her a little more, but instead she was left out in the cold again.

She sighed and quickly caught up with him, her expression now crestfallen.

She had been noticing though that she was getting some awful glares, which belonged to many of the girls about her age.

She sighed and looked away from the group that they had just past and bit her bottom lip.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that your fan club is a bit pissed with me… I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't try to kill me." She laughed trying to lighten the mood.

Needless to say it didn't help at all.

She clenched her fists and looked up at him again.

"Look, if you're going to act like a little kid, and pout over whatever the Hell's wrong with you then let's just go home because I can't stand much more of your pity party!" She growled and he pursed his lips into a straight line.

He didn't even look at her.

Was it her, that was bothering him? Normally he would have threatened her life by now, but it seemed that whatever was pestering him involved not looking and speaking to her.

She cast her eyes to the ground thinking. She had been quiet a nuisance lately, with her whole drunken thing and not listening to him when he told her to stay in the house, and let's not forget the whole Council ordeal… Maybe it really was her. Maybe he actually hated her deep down but wanted to put anything in front of himself if that meant protecting his people?

Her eyes traveled to the ground once more, and she felt the burning sensation of tears, but held them back not wanting to again be a nuisance.

They walked back to the house in complete silence… Well, except for Shukaku's berating comments to Gaara about how he had been stupid and too harsh on 'Little Rose'.

Makoto opened the door to the house and walked in, hoping that Temari would finally be home since she was supposed to be coming back today. But unfortunately, it seemed that she was still absent from the house seeing as it was completely quiet when they entered.

Makoto felt him brush past her and head down the hall. She wasn't sure where he was going or why, but this gave her the opportune moment to think of a way to ask him if it was really her that had been irritating him.

She sat down on the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them thinking of ways to tell him. Her numerous thoughts were distracted when he came back into the room papers in hand and he walked over and sat on the chair beside the couch.

She tried to tell herself that he didn't sit on the couch because he needed the room to do the work and organize the papers, but deep down she knew that he had chosen that seat because he would prefer to stay away from her.

"So, um… You don't have to go and see the Council today until we go?" She asked glancing over at him as he worked.

"No." Was all that he replied as she sighed a little too loudly, which made him for once quickly snap his gaze up to her. His brow furrowed somewhat seeing the look that was on her face.

She looked disappointed and hurt. He let his gaze linger and then looked back to his work.

He grimaced at the feeling he was having, he felt sick. His forehead was sweating but his body was freezing. He looked up to see Makoto looking at him with a concerned appearance.

"Gaara…" He heard her whisper after he had looked back down at his work and decided to ignore it.

"Gaara. Are you alright?... You- you look sick." She spoke louder this time and he looked to see her stand up and advance towards him.

He watched her place her hand under his chin and he froze as he watched her bring her face closer to his.

It was like everything was happening in slow motion as he watched her lips advance in his direction.

Suddenly he felt her press her lips and chin against his forehead, and then quickly replace it with her palm.

She pulled away sighing and quickly dashed to the bathroom.

He swallowed hard and could hear his heart pumping rapidly in his ears. It was just like last night all over again, but this time she was completely sober.

"**Hehehe, that was close… Maybe next time she won't miss."** He heard Shukaku purr in his thoughts, but before he could shout at the Tanuki, Makoto had returned with something in her hand.

"Just let me take your temperature, you're burning up…" She spoke as she shook down the small device so that it read a temperature well below normal.

"I don't ne-" He was cut off by her placing it in his open mouth as she smiled down at him.

"Please, for me? I just want to make sure you're not really ill." She spoke and sat on the arm on the chair he was in.

He growled and bent down back to his work. It wasn't easy trying to concentrate on accomplishing his work with her sitting so close to him and watching his every move.

Suddenly he felt the thermometer being pulled out of his mouth. What was he, a little defenseless child!?

He looked up to see her grimace at him.

"Gaara, you have a fever of one hundred and one point three…" She spoke worriedly to him.

She walked away mumbling to herself. He growled, ignoring the sickening feeling that he had in his stomach and continued on with his work.

Suddenly she was next to him again holding to cans in her hand.

"Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soup?" She asked as he looked at her confusedly.

"Just pick one." She pressed on and he rolled his eyes at her and looked back down mumbling 'noodles' and she sped off to the kitchen once more.

He grumbled and tried to get back to his work, but once he had gotten back into the rhythm and forced himself to forget about the pain, she was back.

"Here, once you've eaten that, take two of these, it's a fever reducer." She smiled down at him and sat the soup in front of him along with the two small pills and a glass of water.

He looked up at the clock and pushed the items away from him.

"We don't have time; we need to get to the meeting with the Council." He spoke gathering the papers together.

"Wh-what!? You think I'm going to let you go run off to that stupid meeting when you're sick!?" Makoto shouted and watched him send a death glare up at her, but she wasn't going to let him win this fight, it was for his own wellbeing!

"We need to go." He protested and stood up from the chair glaring at her.

Suddenly she watched him sway a bit and then his legs began to buckle underneath him.

"Gaara!" She shouted and quickly grabbed his body before it hit the ground.

She had her arms around his waist while his upper body was slumped over her shoulder.

"Y-you idiot…" She mumbled and slowly lowered him to the ground and he placed his hand on her shoulder for support.

She looked at him, anxiety and fear filling her eyes as he breathed heavily.

"You're not going anywhere tonight… And when Temari gets home I'll send her to tell the Council what's happened." Makoto spoke as she unstrapped his gourd from his back so he would no longer have that extra wait.

"Temari isn't coming home tonight." He wheezed and she looked at him in fret.

"She's fine, but she felt the need to stay another night… She said that she had felt something was wrong." He replied and she nodded.

"Come on." She beckoned and he felt her move and wrap her arm around his waist and pulled him up to stand once more.

"Can you make it to my room?" She asked knowing that it was the shortest distance away and felt him nod his head.

He hated this! He hated having to depend on someone to help him, to take care of him, and to make him feel so vulnerable. But he noticed that she had seemed to bring that quality out in him whenever they were close.

She helped him sit on the bed and she sat next to him biting her bottom lip.

"D-do I need to take you to a doctor or something? I don't want to risk this turning into something worse." She spoke sadly and watched him shake his head, still breathing heavily.

"No, there's no need." He replied and she nodded and quickly left the room, him guessing to most likely fetch something else to make him feel better.

"**She's so caring… And so concerned about you. I wonder what that says." ** Shukaku mentioned in his head sarcastically.

She came back with a cloth in her hand.

"Lie down, you need to rest… This… This isn't good if you've lost so much strength." She spoke quietly and he didn't protest about lying down because he really was tired.

"Here." She whispered and placed the cool cloth on his forehead and smiled down at him.

"I was going to have you wait to take the pills once you had something in your stomach, but I know you don't feel up to eating." She added and handed him the pills and water.

Once he had taken the pills he had expected her to leave and do something else, but he watched as she kneeled down next to him waiting to see if he needed anything.

He looked the other way and out the widow that had the curtains pulled back, the sun was just beginning to set and the Council members were probably all in a panic about them not being there.

"You don't need to stay here, I'll be fine." He spoke and looked back at her.

"It's fine… I want to stay… Th-that is unless you want me to leave." She replied looking away from him afraid of the rejection.

He sighed but didn't reply he felt her stand and his head snapped in her direction, his thoughts full of worry that she might be leaving.

"You should probably change… I'm sure if during the night if your fever breaks you'll want to wear something cooler." She spoke and shut the door behind her.

He sighed and gripped the comforter in his hands.

"**That was stupid, kid. Why didn't you just tell her to stay!? She was going to take care of you all night!" **Shukaku shouted angrily.

"Because, I couldn't… I couldn't tell her to stay… I told you she doesn't deserve to be with anyone like me." He replied and began to take off his shirt and pants placing them on the floor next to him.

He laid back down and got under the covers. It felt strange just laying in this bed now, it had been months since he had had it all to himself.

He sighed and closed his eyes trying to relax and ignore the pain in his body.

He then heard a quiet rapping at his door and opened his eyes and calmly looked over.

"Gaara?" Her soft angelic voice called from the other side and he watched as the door opened slowly with caution, she did not obviously want another episode like the other time.

Her eyes made quick work to find him lying in the bed, his eyes on her as she walked in and took to now already hot cloth from his head.

"I'll go and make it cool for you again." She smiled and turned to walk out the door then was gone again.

"_Why is she doing this?"_ He asked himself, hoping the demon didn't answer.

She came back in the room and quickly folded it into a fourth of what it was and once again placed it on his forehead.

She sighed and walked over and sat on the other side of the bed.

"Why are you doing this?" He suddenly asked and he felt her stiffen next to him and turn to face him, her cheeks a bit more rosy.

"Um… Well… This is what people who care for each other do." She replied and looked away, and then her eyes flickered back to him to see that he was still staring at her and blushed even more.

"Do you, um… Do you need anything?" She asked looking over at him as he shook his head, still pondering her answer.

"Alright" She spoke sadly, feeling the solitary sense from him that she had received earlier today.

"Gaara?" She asked without looking at him, or waiting for him to reply.

"Is it me?" She asked keeping her eyes to the ground.

He didn't know what she was asking him, and didn't say anything, hoping that she would continue.

He watched her to see her look up, tears about to spill from her pleading emerald eyes.

"I-is it me that is irritating you? Is it me that you're angry with?" She stuttered, feeling her lips quivering.

Gaara didn't know what to say to her. How could he, she was asking him too much. It's true that she was the reason that he had been acting this way towards her after they had just put their differences aside, but that wasn't her fault it was his.

He hated the little things about her that he had become accustomed to. The little things such as, watching her chew on her bottom lip when she was nervous. Or the way that she scrunched her nose up when she wasn't pleased with something. And mostly he was infatuated with the heated comebacks that only she had ever provided him with, no one else were ever fearless enough to do so. And he hated it that he was never able to keep her off his thoughts or able to keep his eyes off of her.

She had kissed him last night, and he had let his guard down. In that moment that her lips touched his he cared about nothing else in the world. Most would think that to be a wonderful feeling, but he degraded himself so that split second of bliss, of susceptibility, because he had for that split second not cared about the wellbeing of his village.

**He** was the one that had taken down his defenses. **He** was the one who had let himself become vulnerable. And **he** was the one that was making her cry now. And so the question he had been asking himself all this time came to his thoughts again; was it possible to care for someone and protect his village at the same time? And was he now realizing what it meant to be loved?

"Gaara?!" She called him back from his thoughts to see her tear filled gaze.

"How could you ask something like that? You're being stupid." He replied and she looked at him with pleading eyes.

"But, Gaara. I've been a nuisance to you the moment that we met in the desert… I've always annoyed you and made you go out of your way for me… I've been selfish an-"

"Stop it." He commanded and she looked up again biting back a sob as she sniff.

"You have never once stopped to think of yourself since the moment I met you. You're foolish to think that you have been anything less than helpful. I have yet to even prove myself to my people, but more than half of the villagers have already accepted you. You, Kino Makoto, the person no one could hate, always loved and helpful to those who need it. While I have always been hated, neglected and shunned. I am someone who my own mother hated and despised… But I don't blame her since-"

"Please stop… Please… It's not true Gaara; I've seen the way those people have looked at you. The respect you they-"

"They fear me, Makoto. There is a difference between respect and fear." He replied not daring to look at her because he knew that he had just heard another sob escape her lips.

"That's not true… I respect you; I care for you, no matter what you may think. And I know they care about you… They trust you with their lives… I do too." She replied and watched him look up to see her tears spill over once more.

She was making him feel even more sick knowing that she was crying over him, that it was his doing that made her cry.

He stiffened as he felt her hand on his and she rubbed her thumb across the top of it.

"I care for you more than you will ever know." She wept looking into his shocked eyes.

"I-I felt like someone was ripping my heart out when I had shocked you after Shukaku had taken you over… To see you in that much pain… And most of all to know that I caused it…." she whispered and then gripped his hand tighter in her grasp as her head snapped up small pieces of her hair sticking to the damp sides of her face.

"I never want to see you hurt and in pain ever again!" She cried and launched herself into his arms sobbing uncontrollably as all that she could see was the absolute pain on his face as she had hurt him.

"P-please! Please forgive me!" She cried but he still hadn't moved. His mouth was partially open and his eyes were wide as he felt the girls' tears slither down his bare chest making him shiver.

"Why… Why should I forgive you?" She heard him ask and with her ear pressed up against his chest it sounded almost like it had echoed.

She felt like she wouldn't be able to breathe ever again. She looked up at him astonished and tears fell again onto his chest.

"Wh-what?" She whimpered.

"Why should I forgive you for something that you've never done?" He asked and she looked confused while he looked down at her.

"You don't need to be forgiven; you have only ever tried to help." He finished still looking down at her and watched in interest as her lips quivered once more and she then wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her face in the crock of his neck and cried.

He closed his eyes and slowly placed one hand on her back. He shivered when he felt her fingernails slowly brush across his bare shoulders and become matted in his hair as she played with the strands at the nape of his neck. He felt her crying cease and all he could feel were her wet eyelashes batting against his neck which made him swallow hard.

He felt her head pull away to look up at him. He looked down seeing her eyelashes still thick with leftover tears, but she was smiling.

She wanted to kiss him so badly. She wanted to finally feel his soft lips against hers. She wanted to know how he would react, if he would respond or pull away. She just wanted so badly to capture his lips and let him know that she wanted him to be hers.

She gulped and moved closer to him, her cheeks turning more tint the closer she got to him.

"Gaara." She whispered in a sultry voice as she kept advancing on him.

She moved so that she was only a centimeter away from his lips and whispered.

"Thank you…" She then moved forward just a small bit and then quickly pressed her lips to the far right corner of his lips.

She couldn't believe she just chickened out when she was there, ready to go for the kill and then pussied out! She pulled her lips away, not daring to look at him and then snuggled back into his unmoving grip.

"**She… Is so mean… The little coward, you should go and claim your prize!"** Shukaku spoke for the first time in a while, but Gaara still didn't reply or move.

She had kissed him. She had shown him affection that no other female had. She had shown him that she didn't want to leave him, and that she wanted to be fond of him. And he had now found that he wanted to be fond of her too.

He closed his eyes and felt her soft breathing on his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, waiting to see if she objected but only fell into his grasp even more. Now and here he was able to be anything she wanted him to be, and whatever that was, he was happy with. Here, with her in his arms, he was safe to show her the affection that no one but her had ever shown him.

He didn't want to leave her; he didn't want to have anyone else have her. He wanted her to stay only his.

He would protect her, even if it cost him his life.

He looked down at her and he brought his hands up and began to take her hair down out of its ponytail.

He threw the small elastic item on the floor and inhaled her wonderful fragrance. She smelled of fresh rain and roses, her scent made his mouth water. He sighed as rested his hand on her head and stroked her hair and heard her sigh, feeling her hot breath on his neck.

"_Don't ever leave me."_ He thought and wrapped his arms around her waist once again and closed his eyes as her breathing calmed him while he began to meditate.

Outside watching intently he smirked under his hat, his eyes never leaving the brunette in the arms of her fiancé.

"He will fight back ten times harder now that he has claimed her his… He is no longer confused about his feelings, and if we would even try to get near her he would kill us." The man next to him spoke quietly and the blonde grinned again.

"That's what will make it fun, un. He'll put up a good fight, but I'll take her right from under his nose." Deidara snickered and Sasori did not object.

"She truly is a beautiful piece of art… She's perfect; she'll be an interesting one that's for sure, un." He spoke softly.

"You better watch out for your little Tanuki, princess… You'll need to keep him close from here on out." He smirked and felt the breezy night air waft around his body.

-:-

She moaned softly and nuzzled her face against his warmth. Her eyelashes brushed against his chiseled chest as her eyes blinked open. She pulled her cheek away from his chest and looked up at his face to see his eyes shut and mouth parted slightly.

If she knew that he couldn't sleep, she would have guessed that he was. Her eyes traveled over his face in fascination she had never seen him with this expression, this expression of serenity. He looked so welcoming to her, now she really did want to kiss him and for real this time. She then came to see the sweat on his head and his flushed cheeks.

She pulled her hand away from his waist and to his head, and gasped. He fever had gotten worse over the course of the night. She cursed herself for falling asleep! She had planned to stay up and tend to him so he could wake up as rested as possible. She got up a few times that night, luckily without him noticing and rewetted his cloth, but it obviously hadn't done much for him.

She slowly pulled away from him, grabbing the cloth and moved his arms away from her waist. She was getting ready to move away from him when his arm snaked around her waist once more and pulled her back to his chest making her blush at the sudden contact.

She looked up at him, her face still flushed.

"Gaara, you're fever's gotten worse. I need to get you some medicine!" She protested looking up at him to see him open his eyes and see her pleading look.

"I'm fine." He spoke and closed his eyes again and she rested her head on his chest her face even more flushed.

He was willing to lie to her about not feeling well just so she would stay with him?

She pulled away making his eyes open again and arms wrap tighter around her waist.

"Gaara, please stop! You-… You're very sick, please let me help!" She pleaded as she placed her hands on his arms that bound her close to him. Slowly she pulled his arms away from her, not breaking eye contact.

She swung her legs over the bed and rushed out the door.

She hurried to the bathroom and ran the cool water as she quickly searched through the cabinet for the pills she had given him last night.

She grabbed the pills, quickly ran the cloth under the water and filled a glass and rushed back to see him sitting up, his face flushed.

She walked over and handed him the pills and water, and he took them willingly. Once he had swallowed them she kneeled down next to him and began pressing the cool cloth against his heated face.

His expression relaxed as he leaned back, enjoying the relief that it brought to him.

"Gaara, I really think that you need to go to a doctor… I'm scared this is going to get bad." She spoke softly while she continued to press the cloth on different parts of his face and then moved down to his neck which surprised him and he opened his eyes to see her emerald gems dart to his in fear something might be wrong. He watched her for a few seconds then closed his eyes again, letting her do as she saw fit.

"I don't need to go to a doctor. This is just a cold." He replied and felt her hesitate on pressing the cloth against his jaw line then he felt the cool relief.

"_I'm not going to fight with him; that will only make him feel worse."_ She thought and then stopped and held the cloth in her hand.

She watched him open his eyes and look at her curiously, obviously he had been enjoying it and she smiled at the thought.

"Gaara, go and take a cold shower it will make you feel ten times better and will reduce your fever immensely." She spoke and he watched her give him a saddened look.

"**Only if you'll take it with us."** He heard Shukaku growl hungrily in his mind and frowned upon hearing him.

He the felt her press her hand to his cheek and rub under his eye.

"Your eyes look horrible… You need more rest. When you're done showering, go back and try to meditate, that is unless you're hungry." She spoke softly and watched him as he kept his eyes locked on hers and then stood up and watched her blush.

He smirked knowing that she didn't realize that he only had a pair of boxers on last night and she had cuddled next to him all night.

He looked back over his shoulder to see her with her hand pressed to the sides of her cheeks as she was trying to subdue her blush. She looked simply alluring like that.

He groaned trying to suppress the thoughts the Tanuki had brought to his mind as he walked into the bathroom.

-:-

She got up and walked out of the bedroom still pressing her hands to her heated face and walked out to the kitchen and got a glass of water for herself.

"Oh my gosh…" She whispered and bit her bottom lip.

She sighed and looked around the kitchen trying to find something that would be easy on his stomach.

-:-

He ran his fingers swiftly through his damp hair as he walked back to the bedroom, now wearing a pair of pants. He half expected to see her asleep on the bed, but she wasn't there. His brow furrowed as he turned and walked out into the living room seeing her laying on the couch and a plate with toast, an egg on it and a glass of water next to it.

He watched as she looked up tiredly while he walked in her direction and she sat up rubbing her eye with a smile.

"Are you feeling any better?" She asked softly and watched him take a seat next to her and grab the plate.

"Somewhat, why aren't you eating?" He answered without looking up as he began to slowly eat his food.

"I'm not very hungry, I'm fine." She mumbled and he looked over to see her head nodding forwards slightly and then she would sit back up hurriedly.

"**Aw, she's tired." **He heard Shukaku coo in his mind.

"If you're tired then go back to bed." He spoke again as he looked away and felt her sit up straight next to him.

"No! You need someone to take care of you! I'm not leaving you out here by yourself." She fussed and he rolled his eyes.

"Then lay down." He commanded and she wavered before she mentally agreed and reached down at the end of the couch, smiling like the Devil himself.

Gaara, still pondering his thoughts about what they had talked about last night almost jumped up when he felt her rest the pillow on his lap and lay her head on it, her face flushed and her eyes shut.

He blinked down at her in astonishment and watched her turn over, eyes still shut.

"Did you think I would fall asleep without being able to tell if you've left to go see your precious Council?" She spoke softly a smile spread across her velvety pink lips.

He smirked in defeat, and shook his head and closed his eyes.

"_She's an idiot."_ He thought and placed his plate on the table in front of him.

She blushed at her cover up and smiled mentally cheering, adding this to her list of ways to seduce a man. She then felt him move and suddenly she felt him move her out of his lap and lay down next to her, his arms encircling her waist as if she would be the one to get up and leave. Her eyes shot open and face flushed again when she felt him rest his chin in between her neck and shoulder, his lips dangerously close to her cheekbone.

She shut her eyes and smiled leaning into his embrace.

"_This… This is it, all I've ever wanted."_ She thought, her heart pulsing with elation. She knew that he wouldn't end up being like this around anyone but her, he may even threaten her life now and then, but she would know that it would be in vain because she had finally cracked open this side of him. Granted this did take about six months, and they still hadn't even truly kissed (or at least she thought) but that didn't matter because in the end, everything turned out how it was to be.

She brought one of her hands up to his and placed it on top of his and gave it a gentle squeeze, telling him thank you and in return he nuzzled closer and rested his cheek against hers feeling the heat of her cheek against his.

He wasn't sure if this was what Yashamaru meant by 'love', but all he knew was that whatever this feeling he had, was addicting and he wanted to always feel this way.

-:-

Well… I know this is shorter than what I normally have for you guys, and I found it relatively boring and so I promise you that the next chapter is more eventful because I've had it planned for a while now, hehehe. And, I'm not sure if any of my readers are into Fruits Basket, but I plan on making another story (Yes, yes, I know I have enough already but I plan on finishing them so it's alright) like I was saying, I plan on doing a Sm/Furuba x-over and it will be Mako/Kyou and I really want to fit in Hoatru/Momiji just because it would be terribly adorable couple! Well, tell me your thoughts on it! I hope you enjoyed the fluff like I told you there would be! Please review, kiddies!

-Katness


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